


Magic and Mayhem

by madmicky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Discrimination, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slash, Swearing, Will be smut at some point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:20:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 73,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madmicky/pseuds/madmicky
Summary: The war ended decades ago but the ramifications could still be felt  across all the kingdom. The policing of magic users has led to segregation and discrimination with tensions climbing higher by the day.It seems like war will break out again only this time it is not one kingdom pitted against another, it will be an internal conflict that threatens to rip the kingdom in two.Amidst the chaos; a noble fights to protect those with magic at the cost of his own safety and security.A long thought dead hero resurfaces thrust onto the precipice of another war.And a lone, twisted assassin fights blindly against his programming.Somewhere in all this madness, new friendships are made and old ones are rekindled. Deceptions and conspiracies come to light, choices are made and bonds are forged. Our heroes must fight lest they lose everything.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So… Hi ^^
> 
> This is very much an AU. I would like to say I took the whole banishment of magic from Merlin, but it actually came from an RP plot I created some years back. 
> 
> As for world building, medieval is very much the time period I am going to emulate, fantasy castles and all that, but I’m not going to stick strongly to particular historical accuracies or things like that.  
> I’m going to try my best to keep the OOCness of the characters to a minimum, but I apologise in advance if I slip up. 
> 
> My goal is to have this end as a Stuckony fic. I sort of know where Bucky will fit into everything but at present not everything is planned out. (Also knowing me, there will most probably be smut at some point)
> 
> I keeping this to a “soft magic” system, essentially meaning “rules? What rules?” - people can do things… I might settle on something more solid later but we’ll see. 
> 
> By all means let me know what you think ^^

* * *

“Where has he got to now?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t keep tabs on where Tony wanders off to.” 

“Well let me know when he returns!”

Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts watched Obadiah Stane stomp off down the corridor in a huff with narrowed eyes. While it was true that she had no idea where exactly Tony went when he disappeared, she was adamant that if she did, Stane wouldn’t be able to worm it out of her. 

It wasn’t exactly a secret that Stane wasn’t fond of her, or her presence in the estate. She could easily argue that it wasn’t personal, considering Stane strongly objected to any ‘common folk’ with access to the Stark business and estates, but she was well aware it gripped him even more that she was part of Tony’s inner circle. Still, Stane hid it well enough she supposed. Or at least he made sure to never admit how he truly felt about her in front of herself, Tony or those he was close to. 

Tony was somewhat blinded by his familial ties to the man, but she always felt an air of unease whenever Stane was present. Sometimes she swore she caught a glint of something in his eyes… she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was, but it never failed to send a shiver down her spine. 

Once the footsteps faded she left the room and made her way through the manor. Tony had always had a knack for disappearing, and disappearing well. No one knew where he went, how to contact him or when he’d return. Pepper, like many, had tried to pry it out of him, though it never worked. In some ways, she didn’t want to know, considering the mischief he managed to get himself into. Besides, it was probably better that she was left in the dark because she’d bet her left leg that Tony’s disappearances had something to do with his... gifts... 

There were only two people, that Pepper knew of, that knew Tony could use magic; herself and James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes. Of course both of them were sworn to secrecy, though neither of them would dare tell anyone regardless of the promises they’d made.

Tony’s position was, unique, for lack of a better term. If it somehow came to light that Tony was a magic wielder, he would be safer than most. The likelihood that he would be carted off and banished were slim, given his noble status and the fact that his father had been an honoured war hero, but he would be heavily restricted and guarded. Not to mention, those close to Tony would probably also be implicated and questioned. Even Tony’s demands and threats probably wouldn’t be enough to stop the authorities removing Pepper from the estate. 

The secret was much safer hidden and Pepper thanked whatever deity could hear her that Tony at least had the sense to practice magic away from the manor… most of the time. 

* * *

“Can we try it again?” Tony ran his finger lightly down the worn pages of the tome in front of him. His work table was a mess. Covered in scraps of paper with seemingly nonsensical scribbles on them, open books, rags and other pieces of material, quills and ink splotches were all over the place… organised chaos, he liked to call it. 

“I believe a second attempt with the same variables will yield the same results Sir… There seems to be an error in the components…” 

Tony tapped a crooked finger on his bottom lip as he studied the page again. What was he missing? “J, can you pass me that dictionary again, maybe I translated it wrong…” 

A stream of golden light flickered in Tony’s peripheral vision and after a moment a heavy book landed softly by his right hand. “Thanks…” he murmured as he began leafing through the pages. 

“You know, if you asked Strange, he’d probably be able to help you out” came a voice from the other side of the room. 

Tony frowned but raised his head to glance over to the speaker. The figure's table was just as cluttered as his own except his was filled with bottles of strange liquids, unrecognisable dried plants and herbs, more books and journals, empty vials and in the centre of it a small fire with a pot hovering above the flames, some unspeakable concoction bubbling away inside the pot. 

“I can manage fine without the _wizard’s_ help” Tony said stubbornly. Admittedly Stephen Strange was a bank of magical knowledge and power, but Tony could figure this out on his own, thank you very much. 

“If the two of you could stop butting heads, I think you’d make quite a formidable team” came a chuckle. 

Tony huffed a sigh and glared openly at Bruce, who while amused, seemed completely immersed in whatever was bubbling on the table in front of him.

“I refuse to team up with Strange and his flying towel. Besides, what I’m attempting his far beyond his scope of thinking…” Tony was starting to think it was beyond his, given how many failed attempts he’d made. 

“What exactly _are_ you attempting..?” Bruce left the bubbling liquids and moved over to Tony’s workbench, avoiding the glowing rings of light that hovered nearby. “You keep going on about it but never the specifics…” he glanced over Tony’s shoulder, at the books he was reading from. 

“An invisibility spell…?” He wasn’t well versed in the arcane language that the book was written in but he knew enough of the symbols to warrant a guess. “Strange could definitely translate that, if you ask him” he gestured to the squiggles on the parchment but raised his hands in surrender as Tony fixed him with a look that by all rights should have turned him into dust. 

“The problem isn’t the _spell_ ” Tony huffed. “I’ll have that figured out in no time.” Bruce raised his eyebrow but otherwise said nothing, letting Tony talk through the problem. “It’s the application. This’ll be the fourth invisibility spell variant that I’ve tried and I’m starting to doubt this one will work either…”

“You’re gonna have to back up” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes Tony spent so much time in that head of his he forgot that other people weren’t on the same wavelength as him. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Sir is trying to find a suitable invisibility spell that he can infuse with material in order to create articles of clothing that will allow the wearer to become invisible” the words came from the mass of swirling gold and orange rings near Tony’s workbench. The rings seemed to sizzle and crackle as they moved around a gold and black epicenter, which darted around like a never blinking eye. Tendrils of light moved and flared, both within the creature and around it, sometimes in geometric patterns, sometimes in soft and steady arcs. It bathed the surrounding area in soft golden light, bouncing off of the bookshelves that lined the walls. “So far every attempt has been unsuccessful, we have yet to determine if it is the spell, the material, the application, or the combination of the three that is the problem” the voice said calmly. 

“You can do that?” Bruce asked, looking back at Tony. 

“Of course I can” Tony said with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest. “You doubting me Brucie Bear?” 

“No” Bruce chuckled. 

“Good. When I figure this thing out, even a non-magic user will be able to use the clothing.” 

“What, are you planning to sell the stuff?” The apprehension was clear in Bruce’s voice. 

“You think I don’t have enough money?” Tony stared his friend down. “Of course not! But it should be useful to the rebellion when moving people across the border…”

“Oh…” Bruce grew quiet. He probably should have guessed that was why Tony was so frustrated this wasn’t working out; it was for the resistance…

Tony’s choices never ceased to amaze him. By all means, he could be living the life of a comfortable noble, with plenty of money and not a care in the world. Instead he routinely snuck across the heavily guarded segregation line, to learn about magic and create things to aid the rebellion. 

He’d warrant, that if he hadn’t been gifted with magic, Tony would still have chosen to help the resistance. 

He was an Artificer, like his father had been. Gifted with magic, but his unique abilities gave him a greater understanding of the material world, and more specifically how it blurred with the magical world. An Artificer could meld the magic and the material and infuse them together, placing spells and charms on objects. Artificers had always existed, but they were now in short supply, with so many of them being rounded up after the last war. Tony was a league of his own though. The way his mind worked was a magic unto himself. There were no guidelines or instructions to follow when it came to creating magical items. It boiled down to the Artificer’s magic, will and imagination. Tony was correct by implying Strange wouldn’t be able to help him with his creation, but he could still help translating the books... 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out” Bruce offered what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “Perhaps you should take a break?”

“I don’t need a break” Tony insisted, but Bruce could see the weariness is his friend’s eyes. 

“When was the last time you ate?” Tony shrugged with a sigh. Knowing he’d get nothing out of Tony, Bruce turned to the swirling rings of light. "Jarvis?" 

“Sir has not eaten in over 12 hours, and has been awake for over 31 hours” Tony glared at the mass as it spoke. 

“Way to rat me out J” he muttered. 

“Come on,” Bruce ushered Tony away from his work bench “let’s get you fed” Tony grumbled but allowed Bruce to usher him towards a slim wooden staircase which would lead them out of their shared basement works pace, and into the rest of the house. 

Tony had to blink as his eyes adjusted to the light once they reached the kitchen. “Ugh, what time is it?” 

“High time you should be leaving” came haughty voice from the kitchen table. 

“Wow, I can feel the love from here” Tony deadpanned as his eyes found Strange. He was sat at a large wooden table, a red and white tablecloth was laid on the wood, with a small pot of flowers in the center. Behind him, that magic cloak of his was stirring something on the black stove. The kitchen barely had room to manoeuvre but it was homely enough with soft sunlight filtering in from the windows above the sink.

“I’m sorry” the sorcerer replied, eyes not leaving the book he was reading, his tone matching Tony’s. “Was the free use of my basement not enough to solidify my affections?”

“Hey, I offered to pay, you’re the one who turned down easy money” Tony slid into a chair on the opposite side of the table suddenly feeling very hungry. 

“Well at least you haven’t destroyed anything in a while” Strange muttered. 

“Not for lack of trying” Tony promised with a cheeky grin. “But seriously what time is it?” he asked again. 

“Not long past noon… you worked through the night… again. What exactly do you tell people when they ask where you go?” Strange lifted his head and took a sip of his tea as he studied Tony.

“Where I go isn’t their business” Tony said with a shrug. Sure there were a couple of people who got annoyed with his disappearances but he doubted anyone’s theories came close to the truth. He probably should think about heading back though, which meant putting his current project on hold _again_. This would be so much easier if he could just work at home. He wasn’t an idiot though, trying to work with magic at home was a recipe for disaster… well more magic than he already did. “The advantages of being a rich eccentric are that I don’t have to explain my oddities.” Well that was partly true. Obie had been trying to weasel out the location of his retreat for years. 

“Let it never be said the great Anthony Stark isn’t _eccentric”_ Strange drawled going back to his book. 

Tony had never thought Strange much to look at. He supposed there was something imposing about his aura, anyone with a lick of magic could tell the guy was powerful, a valuable ally to be sure, but to look at him you’d never guess he was one of the rebellion leaders. He came off too secluded, too stoic. Tony liked to bet the rebellion only used him as a library… and for the premonitions he had from time to time. 

“God that smells great” Bruce announced peering into the pot that Strange’s cloak was stirring. 

“It’s just soup Banner” Strange said without turning round. “You and Stark are free to help yourselves.”

This had become a weird sort of routine for the three of them over the years. Bruce had already been situated in Strange’s home the first time Tony had stumbled into the house. Whether or not Bruce lived here exclusively, Tony had never figured out because Bruce flinched at the mere mention of his past. The most he could gather was that his friend had been cursed at some point and Strange offered him some degree of sanctuary and a place to keep his mind occupied. 

Bruce had a knack for concoctions and potions that rivaled all others. If he let his imagination run wild, Tony was sure there wasn’t a magic elixir that Bruce couldn't make. He had a natural affinity for ingredients, never needing to be told their properties or uses, even if he’d never come across the stuff before. It was all purely instinctual and fascinating. 

It had been easy for Strange to set Tony up in the basement alongside him, though Bruce had initially rejected the idea of being in such close quarters with anyone. Strange had sort of forced the two of them together and though he’d loathe to admit it, Tony was grateful to Strange. Bruce was one of his best friends, one of the few people he could be himself around. In fact he owed Strange a lot… more than he was willing to admit. Maybe that was the reason he passed his creations to Strange to pass to the rebellion, regardless of how he felt about the current political climate. 

Either way, Strange left the two of them to themselves most of the time, but he was always nearby if he was needed. He was never hesitant with information and always quick to correct them if they got something wrong, much to Tony’s chagrin. Annoyingly he always seemed to _know_ stuff. Like when they were about to come up from the basement, despite them not deciding it themselves until moments before they ventured upstairs. 

Whether they needed rest, help or food, Strange seemed to just know and was prepared for them. At first it had been kind of creepy, but over the years Tony had just accepted it. 

While the cloak finished up with the food, Bruce laid the table, hands flickering as bowls and cutlery floated their way to the table. A word from Tony had a loaf of bread making its way to the table and a knife began cutting the loaf by itself.

Once everything was served the three began to eat, Strange abandoning his book in favor of eating his lunch. 

“Jarvis!” Tony called over his shoulder. “Come get something to eat!” 

Down in the basement the rings of light compacted in a burst of light and a bird of brilliant golds, oranges and reds was left in its place. The bird wasted no time flying gracefully up the stairs and into the kitchen, only seeming to need to flap its wings once to get from point A to point B. 

It landed on the back of a chair, the size of a large eagle but much more vibrant, and began pecking at the food left out for it. 

“Sir might I suggest returning home to lower suspicions” the voice, much like it had downstairs, seemed to float on the wind, in an almost telepathic means of communication. No indication came from the bird that it was speaking, seeming rather interested in the bread on the table but the three men knew the voice came from the bird. “You have been here over 15 hours.”

Tony sighed and finished up his food. “Fine” he grumbled, once he was done a wave of his hand sent the empty bowl off to the sink. 

“Before you go, I need to speak with the two of you” Strange spoke up, gesturing to Bruce and Tony. 

“Is something wrong?” Bruce had concern written all over his face. They were all on friendly terms, but it wasn’t like Strange regularly sat down for a heart to heart with them. 

Strange took a breath, eyes darting between the two of them. “That depends…” he said slowly. “I know both of you have been keeping your distance from the rebellion, but you might not be able to for much longer.”

“What are you talking about?” Bruce questioned quickly “Do you want us out of here?”

“No” Strange assured him. He bit his lip as he thought, Tony could practically hear the gears working in his mind. “Something is coming…”

“What kind of something?” Tony didn’t miss a beat. He’d stopped doubting Strange’s instincts a long time ago, he wasn’t going to start now.

“A shift…”

“Well that’s helpful” Tony laced sarcasm into the reply and Strange glared at him from across the table. 

“The tide is turning” Tony had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, he needed something more solid than metaphorical nonsense. Strange continued though. “Soon the tension is going to break and I fear the war we’ve been dreading will come to fruition… and both of you will be swept up in it…”

“Hey wait a minute, I can’t be in the middle of a war zone” Bruce protested, but Tony wasn’t listening, he was processing. It was vague, as most magic annoyingly was, but Strange was right, they _had_ been expecting the tensions to rise up until they broke. A recent raid on a sleepy and rather peaceful village had set tempers ablaze. Stories of slaughtered children and crying mothers, houses set alight and people shoved into barred wagons, either to be imprisoned or forced across the segregation line. 

The laws on the practice of magic were non descript. Tony reckoned they had been drafted that way on purpose, the ambiguity seemingly allowed the kingdom all kinds of leeways when dealing with what they considered ‘potential threats’ as well as what constituted a ‘potential threat’. Even though magic wasn’t strictly outlawed, it was clear magic was trying to be eradicated. It had been going on for decades with the acts against those with magic becoming more and more violent and more public as well. It was inevitably going to come to a head. Either magic users had to fight back, or be stamped out, and from Tony’s experience, the magic users weren’t going to go quietly. 

The problem was, amongst many others, that when things _did_ come to a head, Tony was going to have to make a decision, and it was going to have to be a public one. Which side would he fall on. His entire life existed on the non-magic side of the line, but denying those with magic would be to deny a part of himself he couldn’t live without. 

Strange and Bruce were still talking but Tony cut across them “Do we have a timeline on this?” Both men looked at him and Strange sighed. 

“Strictly speaking no… but soon. A day, a week, a month, I can’t be sure but it’ll be before the turn of the season…” Strange said softly. Winter was coming to a close, it was a tight timeline, the season would turn in a little under two months... “You’ll know when the time comes, everyone will. It will ripple across the land…” 

Again it was annoying vague. Why couldn’t magic come with neat rules and simple instructions. 

“Who’s going to make a move first?” Tony said whilst staring off into space. Surely it would be provocation of some kind that lead to war..?

“I don’t know… What I sense is not a spark of conflict.” Tony turned to frown at Strange, God, his namesake was a good descriptor of the man. “I sense a spark of hope…”

The table turned quiet. A spark of hope…?

“So it’s coming from the rebellion’s side of the border?” It had to be, the non-magic side didn’t need hope, they were doing a pretty good job of squashing the opposition for the time being. 

“That would be my guess” Strange admitted. 

“And this… spark of hope is going to lead to war?” Bruce questioned, concern laced into his voice. 

“It will lead to rebellion. It will lead to the oppressed rising again” There was passion in Strange’s voice, a sternness that neither of them had really heard before. 

“Regardless, it will lead to conflict” Tony snapped back. “Why are you telling us this? To prepare us? Surely you should be telling this to the other rebel leaders?” 

“I’m telling you” Strange strained “because I feel you will have a part to play in this.''

“No shit Sherlock, we all will” Tony growled back. 

“But there is something important about you… whatever this shift is, it’s connected to you somehow.”

“You flatter me” Tony deadpanned, choosing not to entertain the _fate_ element to all this. “You didn’t answer me. Why tell us and not the rebel leaders, shouldn’t they have the time to prepare?” 

“I would advise against that” Strange said as he tapped the rim of his teacup. “Hope is not genuine if it’s expected… The rally to mobilise may halt if their feelings are not true…”

Okay, that was logic he could get one board with. 

“But why tell us then?” Bruce beat him to the punch. 

“The two of you are secluded, sheltered from the world whilst here. Nobody knows Tony Stark comes and goes or that Bruce is hiding in the basement-”

“Im not hid-”

“What’s coming may bring both of you into the light, and I feel you should be prepared for that…” 

Tony sighed, still not seeing the point but knowing if they continued, this conversation was going to go round in circles. But maybe the prep time would be beneficial, or at least it would be if it were more than an ominous _‘something is coming’_ warning. Prep is only useful when you know what you’re prepping for. 

"So things are gonna change soon..?" it wasn't really a question. Secretly he'd been hoping conflict could have been put off until his birthday in May. Once he turned 25 he would have full entitlement and control of the Stark Estate. The likelihood of a clean change of hands in the middle of a war, where Tony would most likely chose the side in opposition to current estate holder was slim. Even if it was his legal right the government wouldn't allow him control of the Stark estate under those circumstances. 

The funds and the resources would have been beyond beneficial though… Maybe he could convince Obie to hand over the company before his birthday? Or stay hidden until he had full control? 

"Yes" Tony blinked himself back into the conversation, taking a moment to remember what they had been talking about. "I'm sorry." Strange continued. 

Tony frowned at him. "What for?" 

"What is coming will not be easy on any of us" the sorcerer clarified. 

"And that's your fault how?" Tony asked with a smirk. It seemed to do the trick and Strange faltered for an answer. Tony got the impression there was going to be a lot of unnecessary apologies in the future. 

"Look thanks for the heads up. J's right. I should head back. Need to show my ugly mug once in while" He joked as he rose from the table. A slight inclination of his head and Jarvis flew from the chair to his shoulder. His weight was a comfort Tony couldn't begin to describe. 

"You'll come back soon right?" It was a question Bruce always asked him when he left. Tony would find it annoying if it weren't so endearing. Whatever had led Bruce to his seclusion still plagued him. Strange and Tony were the only ones he opened up to and everytime Tony left, he seemed to worry that Tony wouldn't return, that he'd chose his _other life_ over them. 

"You couldn't keep me away even if you wanted to" Tony replied with a grin before heading towards the back door. 

"Stay safe" Bruce reminded him and Tony rolled his eyes. 

"When do I not?" he asked the two men, only to be set upon by two very pointed stares. "Alright, alright, jeez. Lighten up you two. I'll stay safe" he promised. 

Before opening the door he waved a hand over himself and Jarvis, throwing a glamour onto the two of them. 

The spell made them appear as a regular townsman with a much smaller, less colourful bird on his shoulder. An added effect made them harder to pinpoint, not invisible, but unnoticeable to those not looking for him, and who would be looking for a random citizen? 

With a quick "don't wait up!" yelled behind him, Tony slipped out of the door and into the town.

* * *

Tony Stark was a well known figure, and hard to miss with his flamboyant, expensive clothing and the exotic bird he always had on his shoulder. It was the colour of flames with deep dark eyes. It's stare seemed to pierce into your soul and judge you silently. Extremely well trained and loyal, the bird was a lot older than people realised. It was Tony Stark's constant companion. One of his many oddities. 

Needless to say, once he was safely across the border and out of sight, he dropped the glamour and he was instantly recognisable. 

Rather than go straight home he mingled, going in and out of taverns and establishments. Let the word circle about that he'd been seen about town, rather than drop in out of thin air. It wouldn't hold much weight if someone was trying to back track his movements but it was something. 

He mosied down the cobbled streets as the sun began to dip below the horizon, splashing pinks and purples onto the clouds. The winter days were always shorter than he'd like, it got dark far too soon. 

He'd put off going home long enough so with a sigh he headed back home. 

Seemingly within minutes of him stepping through the grand Oak front door he was accosted by his uncle. 

"Tony!" he boomed, his arms open wide. Once Jarvis had flown off his shoulder Tony accepted the hug with a smile. "Where have you been?" 

"Here and there" Tony chuckled, break off the hug to slip of his winter jacket and hang it up. 

"I wish you wouldn't wander off alone so often. You should at least take a guard with you. Never know what could happen to a noble on the road these days." 

Tony replied with another halfhearted chuckle. "You worry too much Obie. I know how to look after myself" and he certainly didn't need anyone tailing him. He moved away from the door and into the massive parlour room. The huge fireplace was roaring away, heating the room and sending a comforting crackling sound into the air. Above the ornament adorned mantelpiece, hung a portrait of his parents. It wasn’t overly imposing but it was a constant reminder that they were absent from his life. 

Tony settled down on one of the sofas and a housekeeper, Louise, brought over a cup of his favourite coffee. He thanked her and relaxed back into the cushions. 

“Have you eaten?” Obie asked, lowering himself into an armchair, lighting as cigar as he went. 

“Yes, I stopped into a nearby tavern” which was true, at least for dinner. 

“Come now Tony. Why bother with the slop a measly tavern can cook up when the best chef in town is under this very roof!” Obie played it off well, hid his disapproval behind a jovial exterior, one which Tony had long deduced as fake. He forgave the man _some_ of his prejudices, given how close he had been to his father, but he agreed with none of them. 

There were certain conversations he wouldn’t have with his uncle, at least not yet, not until all the cards were very firmly in his hands. Unfortunately Obie shared the typical views of a noble, having several arguments about Obie’s flawed world views wouldn’t be beneficial until _after_ Tony gained his inheritance. 

Now for the most part, Tony took it all in his stride, leaving the hard truths for another time. 

“I found it quite enjoyable, rather wholesome” Tony replied, taking a sip of his coffee. “Doesn’t hurt to support the local economy…” neither of them spoke for a while. Tony kept his eyes firmly ahead of him or down at his cup, well aware that his uncle was watching him the entire time. 

"You can't keep doing this Tony" there was a horrible sing-song quality to the way Obie said the words after the silent stretch. 

"Your birthday is coming up and the head of the Stark family can't routinely vanish, it won't look good." 

Tony turned to give his uncle a smile. If only that were the only thing _people wouldn't approve of_ . "As if _I_ would do anything to make people _talk_ " he added a laugh for good measure, which Obie returned. It was all horribly fake and both of them knew it. Sentiment could only take you so far. They were two very different men with very different ways of thinking. Their opinions on practically _everything_ was different; wealth, class, gender, sexuality, magic… Tony wasn't sure they shared views on anything, except maybe the preservation of the family estate. 

The hardest part was that he was family. He couldn't deny his fondness for his uncle when they managed to speak about books, the past, food and other quote on quote _safe_ topics. Obie had been there when his parents passed, when he'd needed support and a shoulder to cry on… Those days were long behind them now. Every interaction these days was tinged with tension and distrust and Tony would have to be a fool not to realise it was getting worse as his birthday drew closer… The day he would take the Stark Estate and its fortune out of Obie's hands. 

He could deal with it though. Besides if Strange was right, and annoyingly he usually was, he would have bigger problems to deal with in the immediate future. 

Another silence stretched out. Tony took careful sips of his coffee, trying to pull some comfort from the warm liquid, once again not looking at his uncle. 

After a while Jarvis flew through the doorway, landing on the back of the sofa by Tony’s head. The bird seemed to drag Obie’s attention away from Tony long enough to give the creature a thinly veiled look of disappointment. 

J’s arrival seemed to snap Obie out his silent contemplation. 

“The Enforcers had a bit of fun today” Obie chuckled darkly. Tony’s pulse spiked, his grip tightening on his cup. He turned to his uncle and gave him what he hoped wasn’t an obviously fake smile. 

“Oh really..?” he tried to keep his voice light. 

“Yeah, one of our own! Can you believe it!”

Tony’s blood ran cold. _One of our own_. Was there someone here? Did they take som- “The Maximoffs turned out to practically be a coven” the following laugh seemed to hit Tony physically in the chest. 

_“J?”_ Tony whispered over his link with Jarvis. 

_“I can no longer feel the magical signature of any of the Maximoff family.”_

_“Even Wanda?”_ Tony hissed. 

_“Sir, the absence of their signatures indicates they are either being held somewhere with magical dampers or…”_ Or they were dead…

“What happened?” Tony tried to keep the worry, the panic, out of his voice. The Maximoff were, or had been, it seemed, another noble family. They lived not far from the Stark Manor. Tony had been keeping tabs on other magical users for years, not that anyone knew that. The Maximoffs were unique in that the entire family could use magic, even their employed staff. They had gotten by peacefully and hidden for all these years. 

“Some serving girl was sprouting claims of magic. Course that didn’t mean anything, but an investigation was launched… Turned out she was right” more laughter...

“The Maximoffs were not violent or using magic for ill… Why-” Tony had to stop himself, by rights he shouldn’t have any knowledge that any of them were missing. “What happened?” he repeated. 

Obie fixed him with a stare but continued. “The Enforcers raided their manor. That daughter of theirs put up a good fight it seemed. I’m told all hell broke loose once they killed her brother.”

Tony felt sick. “Why weren’t they protected?” For the gripes he had with the lines between classes, he couldn’t deny there were some benefits that came from noble birth. “The Maximoffs are of high standing nobility. Regardless of their inclinations to the magical arts, their amnesty should have been assured!” There was no keeping the frustration out of his voice. 

“What does it matter?” Obie exclaimed “We don’t need that kind of scum mingling with the with the elite!”

Tony bit his tongue, his finger now tapping his cup in frustration. “That warrants their deaths does it?”

“Well if they’d come quietly, they’d still be alive” Obie said with a raised eyebrow. 

_Come quietly?!_ “Their home was invaded, they had every right to fight back” Tony seethed, his anger only flaring at his uncle persistent look of amusement. 

“I was told it was quite the show. That girl of theirs has some real power in her.” 

“So Wanda is still alive then?” Tony asked grappling onto his uncles words. 

Obie fixed him with another questioning look but Tony ignored it. There was no law which prohibited the support of those with magic. “Yeah, they carted her off to God knows where.”

“And the rest of the family?” 

“She’s the last” Obie said with a casual shrug. “Good riddance I say” he took another long drag on his cigar.

Tony’s jaw clenched and unclenched repeatedly, having to fight back the urge to pace around the room in frustration. The Maximoffs were dead, with their only daughter, locked away in a prison somewhere… for nothing more than existing. 

“Why was a raid sanctioned in the first place?” Tony’s eyes were hard. “The word of one serving girl shouldn’t have carried that much weight.”

“It didn’t.” There was a blase tone Obie’s words. “When I heard about the accusation, I told the Enforcers they had the full financial and legal backing of the Stark Estate.” Obie tapped the ash off his cigar and took another drag on it, relaxing back into the armchair he was on. 

Tony, for once in his life couldn’t speak. Full backing of the Stark- The Starks, who had for generations, been able to use magic? The Starks who used their talents with magic to help win the last war? 

“Well you can tell them it’s been revoked.” Tony’s voice was low, his body sizzling with anger. 

Obie’s demeanour shifted as the smile fell of his face. “Now Tony” he sanctioned “We all have to play our p-”

“No! I will not have the Stark name dragging innocents to their deaths” Tony voice was level, but he was on the edge of full blown rage. 

“These people were far from innocent” Obie reasoned. “We must try to protect the peace we-”

“And what if my father, _your_ business partner, was still alive? Would you have him carted off, or have him killed?” Tony locked eyes with his uncle’s. _Would you do that to me?_

Obie held the stare for a moment, arranging his thoughts. “Now Tony… No one can deny your father’s contributions to the Kingdom, may he rest in peace. But times have changed. The world is a very different place now.” Tony felt his throat go dry. That was a resounding _Yes_ if he’d ever heard one. “The control of magic is an important issue and the Stark Estate should show its support to the crown.”

“The last I checked, the only Stark here was me” Tony threw back. “And believe you me, I will take no part in this discrimination” Obie began to protest but Tony cut across him. “You will not dissuade me otherwise. I’ll make the lawyers aware that this _backing_ you have permitted will end with my coming of age” It was infuriating he couldn’t bring an end to it now. But making a fuss about it now would make the change easier later. And if it happened to sow the rumour that Tony Stark was against the policing of magic, he’d count that as a win. 

Outside of the clear rage, Obie’s face was unreadable. He was clearly holding back whatever it was he wished to say but they were both well aware that once it was made up, Tony’s mind couldn’t be changed. “The backlash from this will be far from small” Obie said with measured words. 

“Since when have I done anything that required less” he asked with a raised brow. Obie gave a sigh and a small shake of his head. 

“I wish you would reconsider” Tony was surprised to hear genuine regret in Obie’s voice, but said nothing as he watched his uncle rise and head out of the room. Once he was sure Obie was gone Tony went limp, his head fell back onto the sofa and he let out a long breath. He brought a hand up to massage his forehead, trying to ignore the way his hand trembled slightly. 

What had just happened? 

He had always been aware that Obie’s views differed from his own, but to hear it so plain… To know that Obie was willing to take steps to bring magic users down, regardless of their intentions, morals or familial ties… it was a hard pill to swallow. He let his hand drop, choosing to close his eyes rather than stare at the ceiling. He stayed that way for a while, trying to get his breathing under control. 

“The late Mr Stark would be proud of you” Tony nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice and had to scramble to avoid spilling the last of his coffee over himself. Once he was settled he turned to lock eyes with Louise whom he, and he assumed Obie, had forgotten about. “He would hate to see what the kingdom he fought for had become...”

Tony swallowed, eyeing the woman. She was well into her fifties. Having been in the Stark Manor longer than any other worker. All the things she must have seen over her decades of employment… He knew Obie didn’t have very high opinions of the staff, they would never have voiced any type of opinion around his uncle. It was somewhat endearing know that this woman, who had watched him grow up, ever silent, felt comfortable enough voice her thoughts to him.

“Thank you…” he said softly. He worried his lip with his teeth as he thought. Soon he may need all the allies he could get. He had a strong suspicion, Louise could be one of them. “My Uncle is correct about one thing,” he said as he rose from the sofa. “Times change…” he walked over to her. When she reached out for his cup, he handed it over but used the gesture to hold her hand gently. “Soon, I believe they may change once again” He caught her eye once more and an understanding passed between them. 

She nodded and gave Tony a small smile. “Very well Master Stark.” She inclined her head and with the cup in hand, headed back to the kitchens. 

Tony watched after her with a small smile. It was always nice to know where you could find support when you needed it. 

_“J, are you able to detect where Wanda’s magical signature was last felt?”_ Jarvis glided over from the sofa, back onto Tony’s shoulder and the two left the room. 

_“I’m afraid not Sir. At the time of her incarceration, the distance was too great for me to pinpoint her location.”_

_“Could you follow a residual trace?”_ Tony asked with his mind as he made his way upstairs to his quarters. 

_“Perhaps… From a location she was recently at I could track her whereabouts.”_

_“Well then, we best get on that shouldn’t we?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was predominantly set up, with a distinct absence of Steve. Sorry..?  
> Either way I hope it was enough to be intriguing. I know I've left a lot of things unexplained, all in due time I promise ^^ Let me know what you think. I'm all open for suggestions and criticisms. Most everyone's backstories are firmly planned out but I don't have a distinctive end in mind for this. Also this'll probably be a long one so strap in XD


	2. Chapter 2

It was the tickling in the back of his throat which dragged him out of the abyss of sleep.

His body felt like a dead weight, his limbs uncooperative. He was peaceful though, comfortable in that way one can only be on the edge of sleep and awake. He wanted to relax back and drift off again, but that tickling, itching feeling in his throat was having none of it. 

He tried again to move and succeeded in rolling his head a fraction. His eyes refused to open though. He was sure he'd never slept this deep before, the slumber had been all consuming. 

Sound began to return to him.  _ Huh… That was odd…  _ he could hear the rustling of leaves as the wind whipped by. The air seemed to caress his cheek, coaxing him further awake. 

It was cold he realised. Really cold. So cold in fact it hurt. Every time he tried to twitch his fingers, pain would zing up his arm. It wasn’t just his arms either. The more aware he became the more pain he felt. Pins and needles worse than he had ever experienced attacked his body, made all the worse by his body’s lack of cooperation. Every attempt he made at groaning was halted by some form of congestion in his throat. 

He tried not to panic. He was definitely outside, that wasn’t hard to figure out, but how did he get here? His mind was foggy, but he pushed through his haze of pain and confusion to what he could last remember. 

Images came to him in flashes. Multicoloured flames. Dark scales. Sharp teeth. Blood. Pain. Yelling. 

_ “Steve!” _

There was one word on his mind as Steve wrenched himself upright, breaking his bonds and gasping for breath...Hydra!   
  


* * *

Nick Fury hated Seers. In fact he hated all magic that dealt with premonitions, prophecies, fortune telling and that crap. But mostly he hated the individuals that could use those magics; Seers. 

He hated the holier than thou attitude they had. The looks they gave you to make you feel small. That your small brain couldn’t even begin to fathom the depths of universal understanding they possessed… It was all bullshit. 

It had been proven time and time again that nine times out of ten, a  _ premonition  _ meant jack shit. Just because something  _ could  _ happen, didn’t necessarily mean it would. Not even a team of Seers could accurately predict the future, not that the world at large ever seemed to get that into their skulls. The esteem they were held to was damn near untouchable to some, and boy didn’t they know it. Well, most of them. 

As it turned out, Seers were useful for a few things… Stephen Strange was perhaps the only Seer he’d ever met that he could actually stand. It was probably because predicting the future was far from the only magic he practised and of his glimpses into the future he was very particular about those which he decided to share with others. When he  _ did _ decide to pass on what knowledge he had, it was always deft of details but  _ always  _ of significance. 

He still hated Seers though.

It explained why he and a select group were currently wandering about in the forest however. A forest, which up until this point, no one had dared step into for the better part of a century. 

Strange had contacted them with nothing more than a  _ "You should be there at this time"  _ or something similar, and because it was Strange, it didn't warrant ignoring. 

The forest was thick. Completely overgrown and dense. It was unrecognisable from the surrounding landscapes and neighbouring forests. It was like stepping into another world. The trunks of the trees were as wide as buildings, the sky completely blotted out by the canopies above which bathed the ground in various hues of muted green.

Thick vines wrapped around the trees and covered the leaf litter. Fury swore he caught them moving out of the corner of his eye like large menacing snakes. Plants and flowers even towered over them. Their vibrant petals as big as a man's head and their stalks as thick as a forearm. 

It was surreal. Never before had he felt so close to what it would be like to be a mouse. It was like the world had been blown out of proportion, stretched and warped. No wonder this enchanted forest had been feared for so long. 

_ "Any luck so far Sir?"  _ Maria Hill’s voice came through his earring. It was a simple piece of jewellery, a golden stud from which a red crystal dangled from. It connected to others of the same set, somehow creating a network that could be communicated across. 

Another perk of Strange was that he seemed to be in the benefit of an anonymous Artificer. Whoever the mysterious benefactor was, they were a genius and seemed to be constantly equipping them with new gear. Strange would never tell them who it was, but if they needed something, all they had to do was mention it to Strange and a few weeks later they would have another new shiny toy to play with. The earrings were just one in a long list of magical items they had accrued from Strange. Infuriatingly not many of them would work in this Enchanted Forest, there was already too much magic already singing through the air causing interference. 

“Not yet” Fury muttered. In his hand a small blue stone was glowing and vibrating. It was primitive compared to some of the other items they could use to find the location of… whatever it was they were looking for, but it was one of the few things that worked in a place so dense with magic. It twisted suddenly and pulsed, pointing off towards the east. He shited course, pushing aside more heavy foliage.

Beside him Coulson was helping him clear away the vines and shrubbery, careful not to cause too much damage. They travelled in relative silence, taking all the twists and turns as indicated by the stone. It felt like they had been travelling for days. Time felt forgien here. Gentle snowfall had been fluttering down from the sky for days, but here amongst the undergrowth, you would never have been able to tell. No snow reached the ground, the trees were full and vibrant. The only tell tale signs were the distinct absence of animals and the bite of the winter wind. Fury could only imagine what this place would be like in summer, though he had no desire to come back here. 

Legends and mythos were paramount to the magical community. It sort came with the territory. Tales of monsters and beasts, of old, unexplainable magic which man would never understand, of Gods and old heroes, of other worlds or even  _ their  _ world; sentient and powerful. All of them warped over the generations. All of them questionable and over blown, but unfortunately, all of them painfully possible. 

Terrifying beasts and the havoc they caused had been absent for some time but if they were to be found, it would no doubt be here. There was no question to the truth of it. Fury would warrant the forest itself was one singular being and they were just tiptoeing around within its body, as disturbing an image that was. With every step deeper into the trees, he could feel the weight of hidden eyes on them. Perhaps not menacing but the heavy presence was far from friendly. The sooner they were out of here the better. 

There was no sunlight to gauge the time from, but he reckoned they were a good few hours into the trees before the stone began to pulse rapidly. They were close. 

“Sir!” Coulson called from a little way ahead. Fury tried to peer past him but what he had found was obvious. Gentle snowflakes were once again swirling on the air, not falling from above but carried on the wind from the clearing ahead. 

The trees came to an abrupt end opening into a huge clearing, which several castles would have fit into without difficulty. The rough circle of the clearing was devoid of  _ anything,  _ no tress, no vines, nothing… Save for the gentle rustling of the trees there were no other sounds, like they were in the eye of a storm with the only movement being the falling snowflakes that danced to the ground. Without the protection of the canopy, the temperature dropped harshly, the wind biting at exposed skin. The snow, though light, made it difficult to see across to the other side of the clearing, almost like a mist on the air.  _ “There’s something ahead of us”  _ Coulson’s voice came through the earring. Fury turned his head. His group had spread out around clearings edge for what little good it would do. They were tiny dots in the gigantic opening. 

He turned back to the emptiness ahead and peered through the thin veil of mist. Off to the centre was… something. A shape of some kind which broke the flat terrain of the clearing. Whatever it was, was large, bigger than a building, and the stone in his palm was pointing right towards it. 

“Move forward, maintain flanking maneuvers. I want eyes on all sides of this thing. Proceed with caution” he got a round of  _ affirmatives  _ through the earring and they began towards the centre of the clearing. The going was easy enough, the weather, though cold, was light and proved to cause them no hindrance. The ground was unusually level, and easy to walk across, not even the thin layer of snow causing them a problem. 

The mysterious shape remained unrecognisable as they moved forward. It had no clear shape or defining features, it was just a formless mass that towered over them all. It was more than a little unsettling. Still, they continued to advance until they could surround most of the shapes base, through to do so properly would take a greater number than they currently had. Even this close the shape seemed to be nothing more than a strange, and somewhat massive, mound of earth. 

“Sir!” came a call from his right. Fury jogged over to the man who had beckoned him. He was holding his hand aloft, a white light shining between his fingers and illuminating the mass in front of them. 

“What am I looking at?” 

“Sir, I think those are scales…” The man was shining the light at a crack in the mound, a tear, almost like the earth had fallen away from the mound. Fury moved forward until he was standing right next to the crack. Where the earth and dirt was missing, a stone like texture poked through, round and bumpy. He hesitated, scanning for magic at this point would be next to useless. 

“Barton. Hand me an arrow” the man behind him frowned but pulled a slender arrow from his quiver, passing it to Fury. 

Fury turned back to the crack, paused, and then prodded the opening with the arrow head… nothing… 

He touched the arrow to it again, the small tap of metal on stone floating into the air. Fury huffed through his nose and handed the arrow back to Barton. The Hawk had been right, the bumps in the stone were pronounced and detailed, and they looked exactly like scales overlapping one another. 

It went against his better judgement but he hesitantly reached a hand forward, his heart rate ringing in his ears, and laid his palm onto the stone… Nothing again. 

Fury let out a breath and ran his hand over the bumps. It was cold, unsurprisingly, and smooth to the touch. A muted grey with darker speckles woven into the rock. His hand found the edge of the crack. He could see the layers of earth, a few inches thick, topped off by dead looking grass peeking through the light dusting of snow. The scale like texture of the stone continued under the layers of mud and earth. He took a step back, craning his neck up to see the top of the mound. Was the earth covering a giant statue of some kind?

"Sir!" came another yell from the other side of the mound. Fury left the opening and jogged around to see what else his team had found. 

Another member of his team, a ways off from the mound was kneeling over something sticking out of the ground.

"What'cha got?" 

"I'm not sure…" she was wiping snow and mud off the putrision. She managed to grab the sides of the object and with a grunt hauled it out of the ground. 

"Oh my god…" the object was circular in shape, perfectly so, the clean half of it gleaming in the dimness as if the object itself expelled light. Coloured metallic rings surrounding a silver star. 

"Sir… Could it be..?" the symbol was one they all knew, had read about, had swapped stories about. It was emblazoned on war monuments and memorials… 

"Sir! Oh my g- Fury!" Coulson called out for him, he seemed frantic, digging into the earth with his bare hands. 

"Barton, with me!" Fury called out, running over to Coulson while the Hawk jogged over to them. 

He knelt down beside Coulson who was still moving handfuls of dirt, but froze at what he saw. There beneath the soil was a man. 

His skin was pale and streaked with dirt, the only vines they'd seen in the clearing were wrapped around his body, part of which was still under the ground. To his horror, the man's head shifted slightly. "He's alive…" Fury breathed in a whisper. He straightened up. "All of you on me!" he turned back to Barton and Coulson, dropping to his knees again. "Let's get him out of here" he said before reaching forward to grab handfuls of earth. 

* * *

**_'Turmoil in the Stark Estate could spell the downfall for the prestigious family Business!"_ **

" Tony… Not that I don't agree with what you're doing but could you been, I don't know, more subtle about it?" Pepper sighed, throwing the newspaper onto the coffee table. 

"No" came the simple reply form Tony. He was hunched over his desk, doing god knows what but he looked up only to flick his fingers and send the stack of newspapers Pepper had been fretting over into the lit fireplace. 

"Tony" the redhead chided but Tony just shook his head. 

"Pep, it's fine. Hungry press coverage might be a good thing for once."

"Or it might doom us all" she replied flatly. Tony watched her for a moment, her shoulders were slumped over as she lent against the arm of the couch, arms folded, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she watched the papers burn. 

"Hey Pep, look at me" Tony said, standing and moving round from behind his desk. He crossed over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Somewhat reluctantly she turned her head to look at him. "You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you right?" 

She let out a sigh. "I know Tony, but this could become dangerous. They're talking about letting the Enforcers search the mansion and-" 

"And if they do, they'll find nothing" Tony said sternly. "Not a trace of anything magical, not even Howard's old stuff. There's nothing to worry about" she gave him another sigh. "I mean it Pep. They can search the place all they like they'll find zilch" he knew that Pepper was worried and the thought of the Enforcers terrified her. For good reason too. Her parents had been killed by the Enforcers long before she had met Tony and they both knew the Enforcers would have a record of that. If they found the slightest trace of magic in the Manor, Pepper would be the first one carted off despite having no magic herself. Tony had ordered her to wear a bracelet he'd made that masked magical signatures regardless of that, just in case. 

Most of the time, those types of items wouldn't hold up to scrutiny in front of the Enforcers but Tony's creations were infallible. 

She gave him another worried glance before nodding. "Okay Tony" she said quietly. He pulled her into a hug, which she returned with a sigh. It was a shame they weren't compatible for each other. They spoken about it in the past, if they could work together as a couple, regardless of outrage the pairing would cause amongst the  _ "elite".  _ But in the end they'd decided against it with no hurt feelings from either party. 

They separated and Pepper took a moment to compose herself. "The, uh, lawyers have sent you another letter, asking you to reconsider retracting support of the Enforcer units" she said after a moment. 

"Burn it" Tony said after a beat. "And send them another reply telling them to sod off." 

"A polite refusal it is then" Pepper replied with a smirk. "Also Mr Parker is scheduled to meet you for lunch at one." 

"What time is it now?" Tony asked, moving back over to his desk. 

"Just past ten." Tony nodded and sat back down. 

"Send him up here when he arrives with strict instructions that only yourself and Louise are to have access to my study." 

"Certainly Sir. Will that be all Mr Stark?" she asked with a smile. 

"That'll be all Miss Potts" he smiled back and watched her leave fondly. She was an absolute gem of a woman. Fierce but gentle. She had been completely wasted as a handmaiden before Tony stumbled onto her. His uncle had been furious to learn he had reemployed her as some kind of personal assistant, removed from the typical roles that a  _ woman _ should be doing, and even more outraged after that when Tony decreed some time later that Pepper had full permission to speak in Tony’s place and that all means of communicating with him were to go through Pepper first. It was a subject Obie was still sore about but Tony completely ignored. 

His eyes were drawn back to the fireplace again. Speaking of Obie, his uncle had just about had it with Tony at the moment, though Tony was finding it more and more difficult to care what his uncle thought. He’d made it his mission to turn up to as many of the Enforcer raids as he could, regardless of who they raiding. He would openly demand to inspect raid warrants, call them out on the more ridiculous stunts they pulled and the excuses they gave him. 

He seemed to get under the skin of a certain General Ross who seemed to head the Enforcer unit. The man was a slime ball and currently at the top of Tony’s  _ People who suck _ list. 

So far Tony had managed to completely halt a few of the raids, citing legal mumbo jumbo and postpone a couple of others. Every time he missed one however or was powerless to stop one, his insides crumbled. His most recent in his long list of failures was that of the Parkers. A small family, struggling but happy. He’d gotten to the raid only minutes too late, Ross, the prick, had dared to give him a satisfied smile upon his arrival. Tony had lost it, only seconds away from letting loose and rearranging the General’s face. By some miracle of self control, Tony had only verbally accosted the excuse of a man and had managed to get the last two surviving members of the family released from the prison wagon they’d been in; May Parker and her Nephew Peter. Her husband and the boy’s parents had perished and there had been nothing Tony could do about it. 

Just preventing the raids wasn’t enough however, left unattended, the families would just be attacked again. So he had been working with Strange, who worked with the rebellion, to help relocate the families on the other side of the segregation line. It wasn’t ideal, but at least they’d be safe to some degree. Gone were the days when the most the enforcers would do was send magic users off to be banished, these days it was kill first and ask questions later. Any of the poor unfortunates that managed to survive the raid were carted off. From the digging and tracking Tony had managed to do, he had deduced that none of the people being taken prisoner were being banished, they were being held somewhere that Tony had yet to locate. What the Enforcers were doing to the people they captured Tony didn’t know, and his gut told him it wasn’t anything pleasant. Helping the families disappear seemed like their best bet at present. 

Of course it didn’t take long for people two and two together. The families that Tony had helped, had all disappeared. A lot of questions were being thrown his way but he was content in letting the officials stew in the silence he gave them. He also knew that after being helped by Tony, the family members were being followed. It was getting harder to manoeuvre for sure, but that wasn’t going to stop Tony from doing what he could. Pepper may have been worried about Tony’s current behaviour being broadcast so widely but it stated quite clearly where Tony, and the future of the Stark Estate, stood in all of this. 

The fact that he had yet to figure out where the prisoners being taken was also frustrating. Wanda, and God knows how many others, had slipped through his fingers. No manner of trace or tracker or spell could lead him to the prison, hell not even Jarvis could track them… There was something  _ off _ about the whole thing… 

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Assuming it was Pepper he call out a “come in.” What he saw was a crop of red hair, but wasn’t Pepper. “Hello..?” he said with a brow raised in confusion. In had walked a woman, dressed in the same garb as the other housekeepers here at the manor, but he was certain he had never seen her before. 

“Good morning Mr Stark” she was carrying a silver tray which she brought over to him. The smell of coffee wafted towards him, but his eyes followed the newcomer as she drew closer. 

“I’m sorry” he flashed a smile at her. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” She lifted a cup off of the small tray and set it down next to his papers. 

“Forgive me, I only started here yesterday” she straightened up and gave him a gentle smile. “Miss Potts sent me up with your coffee.”

“Did she now?” Pepper hadn’t mentioned hiring new staff. “I’m sure you know who I am. Do you have a name?”

“Oh” she giggled, seemingly embarrassed. “Yes, I’m Natalia, Natalia Rushman” as she moved Tony caught a glimpse of something at her neck. He kept his features as controlled as possible but reached forward to grab a pen out of a little container. 

“Well, Miss Rushman, I hope you’re settling in well” he didn’t listen to her reply and instead spoke to Jarvis who was perched on his bird stand on the other side of the room.  _ “J, make a noise.”  _ The bird seemed to tilt his head at him but obeyed and chirped loudly, startling Natalia. She whipped round. 

“Oh, I didn’t see your bird there, I mean I’d heard about him but-”

“Why don’t you go over and say hi?” Tony offered, she looked between the two of them and Tony gave her another smile. “Don’t worry, he’s harmless” a lie, but she didn’t need to know that. She gave Tony a small nod and headed towards Jarvis. As soon as her back was turned, he pressed lightly on the side of the pen causing a small symbol glowing beneath his finger though the light was completely obscured by the digit. Without taking his eyes off of Natalia, he scribbled hastily onto whatever paper was in front of him.

**_Get up here_ ** **_NOW!!!_ **

His eyes flickered down to the paper for a second, just to watch the words he’d hastily written fade away to nothing, with not even an indent to the paper to hint he’d ever written anything. 

“He’s beautiful” Natalia said softly, stroking a careful finger over Jarvis’ feathers. 

“He’s smart too, or at least smart for a bird” he could practically  _ feel _ Jarvis’ displeasure at the words, but it wasn’t technically a lie… there wasn’t another bird like Jarvis. Natalia replied with a small laugh, walking back across the room and picking up the silver tray once again. 

Just as she stood up, Pepper walked through the door looking a little out of breath. 

“Ah, Tony, I see you’ve met Natalia!” she said with a smile. 

“Yes” Tony replied with an incline of his head. “I’m sure she’ll fit in here just fine.” 

“Thank you Mr Stark” Natalia smiled. 

“Well, Tony, I need to speak to you about a few business proposals” Pepper said with a strained smile. 

“Aw Pep, light of my life, you know how very much I would  _ love _ to go over business proposals with you-”

“Anthony Stark, you’re a grown man, you have to take responsibility-”

“Um,” Natalia piped up “I’ll take my leave now. Enjoy your coffee Mr Stark.” He sent her a thank you and a smile as she left. Once Pepper closed the door behind her he reached out to Jarvis again. 

_ “Activate the silencing runes”  _ on either side of the double doors symbols began to glow brightly before fading out. The room became a cube within which no sound could leave. 

“Take responsibility?” Tony parroted as he turned to Pepper with a raised brow. 

“Well I assumed you wanted her gone, it was the first thing that came to mind. Considering the amount of work you avoid it was easier to draw from the truth” she gave him a smirk which got a chuckle out of Tony. “What was wrong?”

The smile dropped from Tony’s face. “Who is she?” 

“Tony, you did not drag me up here to-”

“I’m serious Pep, who is she?” Pepper frowned. 

“She’s just a girl who was looking for work. I interviewed her, she great for the job so I hired her” Tony had never questioned her hiring choices before…

“Let me guess, she had a perfect resume, with excellent references, years in the business and expertise in exactly where she needed it?” 

Pepper’s frown deepened. “Yes…” she said slowly, “Why..?”

Tony had that look on his face, the one where his mind was working a mile a second. “Did you notice the necklace she was wearing? The one with the square cut blue crystal?”

“Yes…”

“ _ I  _ made that necklace” he said as he tapped his finger against the table. 

“Are you sure?” 

Tony gave her a look of disbelief. “You think I wouldn’t recognise my own creation? That necklace is one of mine” he stood up from the chair and began pacing. “You have to be extremely careful with what you say and do in front of her.”

Pepper now looked scared. “Why, what does the necklace do?” 

“It’s harmless, but it stores sounds, as well as images. All she has to do is think and she can store entire conversations in the gem to be reviewed later, for anyone to hear” he heard Pepper take a sharp intake of breath.

“Okay… Do you think she knows what it is?”

“Undoubtedly… with a perfect resume like that she’s probably been planted here by someone...”

“By who..?” Pepper was looking scared again.

“I gave that necklace to the rebellion to use… the best case scenario is that she’s working with them. The worst case sc-”

“The Enforcers” Pepper cut him off. It would be just like them to use an item like that to drag what they needed out of the Manor to have Tony carted off.

“Yes” Tony replied grimly. “Though I don’t know how the Enforcers would have got their grubby hands on my creations…” 

“So what do we do?” Pepper was biting her lip, arms folded across her chest. 

“Nothing, we act like everything’s as it should be, but don’t take on any more staff for the moment…” Tony paused in his pacing, turning his head to glance out of the window. “I need to talk to Strange, if she is working for the rebellion, he should be able to find out.”

“Okay…” Pepper said softly. She had never meet this Strange, but Tony had told her he was someone she could trust. Under the circumstances that anything happened to Tony, she was to seek him out.

“Pep, look at me” She hadn’t realised she’d been staring at the floor. “Everything’s going to be fine” he assured her. She gave him a soft smile. She didn’t believe that for a second. Things could only get worse before they got better. 

“I know Tony” she said with a gentle smile. “I know.”

* * *

Every lungful of air between hacking coughs, _ hurt.  _ It was like he was breathing sand. His body was trembling something fierce, unable to keep still as wave after wave of pain attacked every muscle he possessed. He could hear voices, yelling. There were hands on him which he tried to desperately push away. He couldn’t see for the flashes of memories that blazed across his eyes. A terrible roar filled every crevice of his mind, his weakened limbs allowed his to clutch at his hair, trying to curl into himself. Some part of him realised that he was screaming. Screaming in pain, in loss and in teror… 

All at once the adrenaline drained from him, his voice cut off, all of the tension drained out of his muscles before Steve fell back into darkness again. 

* * *

"So where did you find him?" Peter had been ogling over Jarvis for a full five minutes, having completely abandoned his food to study the bird. 

"I didn't," Tony replied from close to his shoulder. "He was given to me." 

"Well he's awesome Mr Stark" the kid said brightly. "What else can he do?" 

Tony let out a huff of amusement. "Even I don't know the full extent of what he can do. I doubt even he knows, am I right J?" 

"Indeed Sir" Javis' voice floated into the air. "There are parameters of my capabilities which have yet to be cataloged…"

"Why does he speak like that?" Peter asked as he leaned closer to the bird. 

Tony let out a sigh. "That's… Complicated. As you can probably tell, J's not just a bird."

Peter gave Tony a grin. "Of course not Mr Stark, he's so much more."

Tony returned the grin, though his was laced with amusement. "Of course" he repeated fondly. Each look at the kid was tinged with guilt. The boy was so full of life, even in the wake of grief. He had an overwhelming urge to protect the boy and make amends for not saving his family in time. 

"You've got that look again, Mr Stark." 

"Look? What look?" Peter turned his attention away from Jarvis, his eyes roaming over Tony's face as he studied it, his face was open but the lines of sadness were clear to see. 

"That look when you're beating yourself up over things you can't possibly control…" 

"Kid-" 

"Mr Stark, I owe you everything. You saved me and Aunt May."

"But-"

"No, I know you said you were sorry for not saving Uncle Ben and my parents but what happened wasn't your fault! It was the fault of those stupid Enforcers and these stupid rules on magic!  _ They _ took my family away, not you! You saved us Mr Stark!" he took a breath, blinking away the moisture in his eyes. "What you did, and what you've done for others like me, it deserved more than thanks. It doesn't deserve what the papers are saying about you, and it doesn't deserve you beating yourself up for doing something amazing!" 

"Are you done?" Peter was taken back by the question, the calmness of Tony’s tone throwing him for a loop. Like Peter had just thrown a mini tantrum. 

"Umm… Yes?" 

"Good. Finish up your lunch and we can talk some more."

"But Mr St-" 

"A-a-ah. Lunch then words" Tony chastised. Peter sent a confused look his way but walked past him, back to the sofa. 

Tony shook his head softly once he was out of the boys eyesight. This kid… So full of fire. So  _ maybe _ the kids words hit a little close to home. There was no denying the way his chest had clenched at Peter’s words. Would he go as far as to say he was beating himself up..? Tony would like to say no… even if he didn’t quite believe it. Guilt aside, he was still going to do everything in his power to get the kid to safety. Tony crossed over to the sofa and resumed eating himself. Keeping the conversation light and heavy emotion free for the time being. 

"I wanna help you" the kid declared suddenly once his plate was empty. 

Tony blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" 

"What you're doing is so important. I want to help you!" Tony had to hold in a sigh. 

"Look, not that I don't appreciate the offer kid but-" 

"You're gonna say I'm too young. Aren't you?"

Tony was really beginning to question why he was allowing this kid to cut him off so often… he was fairly certain that was usually his role in a conversation… 

"Well… no, actually, I wasn't. But now that you mention it, yeah, you are too young to get mixed up in all this" Peter opened his mouth to retort but Tony actually managed stall him by raising his hand. "In all honesty, the only reason I  _ can _ do anything right now is because I have enough money that allows me to throw my weight around. My name is the only thing keeping the Enforcers from carting me off to good knows where and I guarantee you, magic or not, they would do it…" it wasn't far from a stretch to assume the worst. Non magic family members of households the Enforcers raided were reprimanded just as violently as the rest… It was just sick, but it proved to  _ everyone  _ that no one was safe. "What I discussed with you before, about getting out of the city, that is your best bet for now. You and your Aunt." Peter looked grevious at his words. He was being ripped from his home, what was left of it, having to run away under shadows like some kind of criminal." Hey," he tried to wipe the sombre look off Peters face. "It's not all bad across the border. You'll be able to practice magic freely, without fear…" Peter still looked apprehensive so Tony changed his tact. "If you really want to help people, the rebellion always needs volunteers, you'd be doing more good over there than here…" just as he guessed, the kids head whipped up, a smile cresting over his lips. 

"You really think they'd let me help?" 

"I'm sure they'll find something for you to do" Tony couldn't squash the hopeful note in the kids voice. But lord help them if Tony found out they were sending the kid out to fight… At least it eased the kid into leaving the city. "There are still a couple of things to sort out. But can you and your Aunt come by the mansion tomorrow night?" 

Peter bit his lip, some of his earlier excitement bleeding away. "Yes. We'll be here" Tony couldn't help but feel relieved. He knew the boys Aunt was anxious and wary. She would keep the boy out of trouble. Or at least he hoped so. She had been thrilled at Tony's proposal to help them vanish. 

"Good. Remember, you're to bring  _ nothing _ . I'll have everything arranged for you on the other side. You're to only bring trinkets, keepsakes, treasured items" he stressed. "The two of you  _ cannot _ look like you're travelling."

"Yes Mr Stark" Peter didn't need to question why. He was well aware he was being followed everywhere. He had some kind of sixth sense the alerted him to danger. His visits with Mr Stark were probably sparing him a foul fate of some kind, being snatched off the street or the like. He was well aware the eyes that followed them shouldn't be aware that he and his Aunt were gone until it was too late. Tony eyed the boy for a moment longer before coming to the conclusion that Peter understood the severity of his warning. 

“And remember, you stick to Pepper like glue, d’you hear. None of the other house staff can be trusted okay?”

“Yes Mr Stark” the kid repeated. Tony gave another small huff, biting the inside of his cheek in contemplation before nodding and rising from the sofa. He’d probably drilled the kid enough at this point. He had to trust that Peter wouldn’t do anything  _ too  _ reckless. 

“You said you like tinkering with magical objects… What sort of things do you like to mess with?” the subject shift was worth it to see the kids eyes light up. 

* * *

Warmth, that was the first thing he noticed. It was such a stark contrast to the icy pain that was the last thing he could remember. There was light dancing on his closed eyelids, trying to pull him into the waking world. Moving his fingers no longer hurt, though he could tell his body was heavy. Underneath his fingertips he could feel soft cotton. He was in a bed?

Steve groaned, fighting the alluring pull of sleep. It was slow going but he managed to crack his eyes open, only to snap them shut again against the light. He shifted his head on the pillow trying to move away from the stream of sunlight. He heard movement beside him and froze. The sounds moved away from him and after some shuffling, the offending sunlight was gone. Steve opened his eyes again, still seeming to need some time to adjust, and tried to take in the room around him. He was indeed on a bed. Small but his large frame fit upon it fine. The sheets were a plain white, soft to the touch, if a little thin. Casting his gaze further, he was greeted the an equally plain room. Simple wooden floor and walls. Furniture with nothing on or around them… the only thing of interest in the room was a man standing by the window, the curtains drawn over the frame. 

He was watching Steve carefully with one eye, calculating the other hidden behind an eye patch. He’d seen plenty of men with that same stare before. Analysing a target, preparing their defences. The stranger regained his composure and took a few steps towards the bed, managing to be both imposing and accommodating at the same time. Steve tried to sit up, he sort of succeeded, but his limbs still weren't cooperating. “Captain Rogers? Captain Steve Rogers?” The hope in the strangers voice was overwhelming, with an edge of desperation. Something about it clicked something in his head. He understood, just from the few words that this man meant him no harm, at least not imminently. 

Still feeling weak, he opted for nodding his head gently. “Yes” his voice was rough and breathy around the one word. How long had he been asleep? 

The conformation dragged a sigh of resignation out of the man’s lips. Steve couldn’t tell if the exhale was heavy with disappointment or worry. When their eyes met again, Steve realised it was neither. There was sadness and sympathy in the mans face. It was the look a doctor gave a loved one before delivering the devastating news of imminent loss. Steve’s pulse flared as something cold wriggled into his stomach. Whatever this man had to say to him, he reckoned he wouldn’t want to hear it. 

“My name is Nick Fury, Captain Rogers… We need to talk...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there wasn't much of Steve in this chapter either, I apologise. Honestly I felt like there wasn't much of anything in this chapter... I apologise again..?   
> I know I copped out of writing the big reveal to Steve, I'll get back to it I swear. I don't imagine much of anything was answered in this chapter, but hopefully it was still interesting. As of yet, I haven't decided if I'm actually going to write Peter and May's escape to the borderline, I'll have to see. 
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions for the types of magical powers you'd like to see the characters have, then please let me know, I'm all up for suggestions. Thank you for reading ^^


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

_ "What is the last thing you remember?"  _

_ "The hydra. I was fighting the hydra. After it fell… Everything went black." _

_ Fury's face seemed to be stuck in a constant glare. "My team and I found you half buried in the earth. Damn near terrified the lot of us with the way you were screaming…"  _

_ "Screaming?"  _

_ "No one's judging. I'd be a little out of it too if I'd been trapped in dirt for the better part of a century." _

_ 70 years… It was like a sick dream, a nightmare he couldn't wake from. He'd been confined to the small room he'd woken up in. It was a dull view but at present nothing about it looked out of the ordinary. That was probably on purpose, to keep him settled. The only person he'd had contact with was Fury during the half a day he'd been awake. For all he knew, Fury was a lunatic with delusions of grandeur. But something in Steve knew,  _ **_he knew_ ** _ , that the words Fury were speaking were the truth.  _

_ If he tried to leave the room, he had no doubt Fury would let him and he also had no doubt that, even in his weakened state, Steve could strong arm his way through. This was no prison… but every glance at the door caused icy tendrils of panic and fear to swirl in the pit of his stomach. Beyond that door was a world he didn't know, wouldn't recognise. In here he could pretend that nothing had changed, that familiar faces would be waiting to welcome him back. He could pretend that his whole world hadn't been ripped from him leaving a gaping chasm in his heart…  _

_ This room was a blessing, a haven. He held his bravado in place as he spoke to Fury, letting information process but allowing the implications to roll off of him, ever the soldier, tackling a problem head on, pushing his emotions back until the task was completed. He knew the way he had taken the knowledge that he'd woken up in the future had confused Fury. The man had obviously been expecting more of a reaction. But here and now, in this room with this one man, not reacting was easy. There was no proof of the man's words in this room but going beyond that door…? _

_ Steve had never been a coward, far from it, but he didn't know how to tackle this. There was no fight here to win, there was no right or wrong, he had to just  _ **_live,_ ** _ and somehow that seemed harder than any battle he had run head first into.  _

_ "We found you next to a giant statue." Fury had started speaking again. Steve was thankful for it. He didn't want to live in his own head for the moment. "We didn't want to hang around for long, but a bit of excavation seemed to indicate that the statue was of a huge, many headed lizard." The words hung on the still air. "We assumed that after you killed the creature it turned to stone… For some reason." The way Fury muttered the sentence gave Steve the impression that out of everything, it was the unknown element that surrounded all magic that was the most frustrating aspect of all this for Fury. Steve was just happy the Hydra was dead.  _

_ He hadn't had the time to process the battle with the monster, considering he'd collapsed immediately afterwards. The way his stomach had been torn open, he hadn't believed that he would have survived regardless. Every time he stopped to think, he was bombarded by flashes of gruesome images that he was trying desperately to ignore.  _

_ There wasn't even a scar from the fatal injury. He was certain that even the elixir that had turned him into a super soldier wouldn't have been able to fix the damage done in the fight… Had the forest saved him? There were old ancient stories about that place and even though he hadn't had another choice, he had still been strongly advised against entering those trees… How the magic of the forest worked, he would never know or understand and Steve was fine with that, but considering how he had been found, perhaps he owed the forest his life?  _

_ "How did you find me?"  _

_ At the question Fury crossed his arms and let out a huff. "We had a tip off, from a Seer…" Furys mouth seemed to twist unpleasantly around the omission. Were Seers not held in high regard anymore? "He told us to be on the lookout for something in the forest." So nothing concrete then, definitely sounded like a Seer…  _

_ "Well, I'm glad you and your team were there." Steve didn't want to imagine what it would have been like to wake up alone in that forest. Stumbling his way back to a world he didn't recognise. As daunting as his current room was, at least there was some level of safety here.  _

_ "So am I" Fury said quietly. He seemed to be hesitating on something else, though Steve could hardly imagine what he could say that would in some way be worse than the omission that he'd woken up in the future. "There's a lot we need to catch you up on…" the man's lips were pulled tight, no doubt holding back a flood of words and thoughts. "I know it'll be frustrating, but maybe don't go wandering around until someone's filled you in on recent events?" Fury eyed him, almost daring him to challenge him.  _

_ "Of course…" Steve agreed, it seemed logical enough, unless whoever was here turned out to be untrustworthy…  _

* * *

Filling him in turned out to be a complicated endeavour. Once he'd bitten the proverbial bullet and wandered out of his room, he was bombarded with peoples awe and excitement. Despite living decades apart, he was recognised by virtually everyone he met, though he assumed everyone in this…  _ house _ ? had some knowledge of who he was.  _ House  _ seemed to be both an accurate and a poor descriptor of the building he was in. It certainly seemed to function as a house. It was huge with a grand kitchen, dining room, parlour and games room, more bedrooms than he could count. It was clear that many people lived and possibly worked here. The place was always busy and bustling with people coming going. He got the feeling that this may have once been the manor of a noble family… However, it was clear that something else was going on here as well. Whole sections of the 'house' seemed to be dedicated to… something… He'd been in war camps and bases enough to recognise strategy meetings when he saw them. It made something heavy sit in his stomach. Fury had assured him that the war he had fought in long ago had been won, and that Steve had gone on to become a war hero and national icon after his death, but from the hushed voices and frustrated conversation he overheard, Steve had his doubts. At least some anyway. 

On his fifth day awake in the compound, which was how he was now referring to the 'house' in his head, he'd run head first into a kid. That was weird in itself because he'd seen very few young people here, he certainly hadn't seen any children here. This boy couldn't be more than fifteen, and upon realising who he'd bumped into, the kid began gushing over him nonstop. It was less irritating than he expected. The boy apologised profusely, over and over again for his behaviour but Steve found he didn't mind it. He ended up sitting down to lunch with the boy; Peter, information flowing easily from the him. It was a welcome change considering he'd only been able to grapple small snippets from everyone else. Whenever he tried to push for more information, people would close up, as if they were scared to tell him the truth. 

"Magic is illegal?!" Steve spluttered over the water he was sipping.

"Well no" Peter shrugged sadly. "But it might as well be" the pain was clear on the boys face. How? How could magic be illegal? Or banned? Or… 

"But magic has done so much good… Why would it be policed?" 

Peter grimly pushed his food round his plate before looking up at Steve. "Did no one explain anything to you?" he looked genuinely concerned but Steve just shook his head. "Okay, wow" Peters back straighten a bit, frowning slightly as he arranged the information in his head. "So, after the war was won, the government became… wary of magic…" 

Steve frowned. "Why?" 

"Because of Hydra" Peter said lightly. "They saw what dark magic could do and became scared of magic… at least that's how it was told to me…" 

'Hydra' had been a special branch of the Zaefuis kingdoms military. Much like 'Shield' had been to their own kingdom, 'Hydra' had specialised in magical forms of defense and offense. However unlike 'Shield', 'Hydra' had never shied away from the use of dark, evil magics of necrotic and demonic natures. They had sent scores of mutilated and deformed creatures to the frontlines, wiping out soldiers with ease. It had been terrifying. Magical creatures that refused to work for them, they captured and twisted with experimentation and torture, creating new and horrifying abominations. The surprisingly small section of the militia easily became the biggest threat during the war, culminating in the summoning of an actual Hydra. It was easy to understand why Hydra would be so feared but for it to install fear of all magic?

Peter must have read his thoughts because he continued. "My dad told me it started off small. Stopping people using certain types of magic. They used the stuff Howard Stark made during the war to hunt people down. Apparently he wasn't too big on the idea." Howard Stark… He had lived through the war then? He had been essential to Shields war effort. He created everything for them, their armor and weapons… He'd been part of the team that created the elixir that turned Steve into a super soldier. Magic had been one of his great loves, it wasn't surprising he was against the use of his creations to suppress magic users. 

"What happened to him? Howard, I mean?" 

Peter frowned, biting his lip. "He married, had a son" Peters face seemed to light up at this. A giddiness seemed to surround him for a moment. That kind of excitement you could only have as a kid. Perhaps Peter knew Howard's son? 

"Is he still alive?" it was a long shot, but the regular use of magic had been known to prolong the users life. It was one of the issues non magic users had always viewed as unfair. 

"No, I'm sorry" Peter said softly before biting his lip. "He and his wife were killed on the road. They reckon it was highwaymen or something like that…" Steve took a sharp intake of breath. After everything he'd done, he didn't deserve to go out that way… 

"What about his son?" 

"He lives in the city" Peter had that twinkle in his eye again. "He's a great guy he- uh, he spoke out when the Enforcers attacked my home" Peter looked like he had spilled some monumental secret, his eyes flitted like he was debating with himself over what to say… 

"Your home was attacked..?" Steve laced sympathy into his voice. War was one thing, but soldiers fought to keep the violence away from their loved ones, their homes. 

"Yes…" Peters voice had turned quiet. "We- we were eating dinner when they attacked the house-" 

"You don't have to-" 

"No, it's okay" Peter gave him a small smile. "I doubt mine will be the last story you hear… My dad tried to plead with them, tried to convince them that we had never used magic to hurt anyone… but they didn't listen… They killed my father first, and then then my mother…" Peter took a breath, eyes glued firmly on the table. "I can still hear her screams at night sometimes…" Steve swallowed. What was he hearing? What had happened to the while he had been asleep? "My Uncle Ben tried to get me and my Aunt May to run, but they caught us and killed him too…" Peters fingers were dancing idly on the table top to distract himself from the words he was saying but Steve could see how futile it was. "They put us in the back of a wagon… That was when Mr Stark showed up" Peter at least had a small smile on his face now. "He screamed and yelled at them until they let us go" he chuckled. "I don't really remember what he was saying…" Steve assumed he was probably distracted at the time, given everything that had been going on. "He was so  _ angry…  _ It was like his words alone could take on the world…" the admiration was clear on Peters face. No doubt the boy owed Howard's son his life. 

"He sounds like a good guy" Steve said with a small smile. 

"He is" Peter smiled back. "He kept apologising for not getting there sooner but I kept telling him not to. He didn't listen" he chuckled again. 

"I'm sure he gets that stubbornness from his father…" they both chuckled once again before falling into quiet contemplation. 

"The uh, Enforcers, who are they?" Steve said after a moment. 

"They used to be Shield" Steve sat up a little straighter at the omission. "Or what's left of it… Dad said that once Shield began to change, many of the workers left, or they were targeted themselves for the practice of magic. Shield was technically disbanded and renamed the Enforcer unit… but they use the same bases and instruments that Shield used… "

"They're still using Howard's stuff?" 

"Yeah. It's the best out there except for- um… for the- uh- the stuff the resistance is using!" Peters voice raised in triumph at the end of the sentence as he pulled himself out of whatever lie or slip up he was about to make. Steve raised an amused eyebrow at him and Peter replied with a nervous chuckle. 

"Is that what this place is then? Part of the resistance?" 

Peter frowned at him. "Did they really not tell you  _ anything _ ?" 

"It would seem not…" and Steve really didn't know why. All his questions had been avoided and any information he did get was vague at best. 

"I don't know if I'm the best person to tell you everything but… I don't mind answering your questions" Peter offered. Steve sent him a smile back. 

"Thanks kid." 

"Honestly, it's no problem. You're amazing! A hero! You fought a Hydra! I mean- oh sorry, I um got carried away again" Steve joined in as Peter laughed. He would never have realised that the boy had suffered the recent loss of his family to look at him. It was only the far off look in his eyes he sometimes had that gave it away. And that was only because Steve was looking for it. In his moments of solitude he doubted the boy was as well held together as he portrayed to others. 

"So how did you end up here?" 

This question seemed to stump the poor boy. "The rebellion smuggled me and my Aunt across the segregation line" he said once he managed to sort his thoughts out. 

"Segregation line?" 

"Yeah um… Hm" Peter lost himself in thought again. "I don't know how long it was after the war ended but, well, at first they were just imprisoning people using magic they didn't like. But when they broadened the types of magic they cracked down on, there were too many people to jail so they cornered off a section of the kingdom, near the forests and put the magic users there. It's too small to house everyone but at least we have houses… some non magic users live here too. After Mr Stark stopped anything happening to me and Aunt May, we came here so we wouldn't be caught again."

"Wouldn't you have been brought here anyway?" Wasn't that the point of a segregation line? 

"No…" Peter said softly. "If the Enforcers attack, they kill everyone or they imprison them somewhere. No one knows where, or why. Even non magic folk get killed in the raids. It was safer to come here" Steve's mind whirled. He couldn't understand this. Magic had  _ always  _ been something normal. Wonderful and perhaps enviable to those who couldn't use it but it had always been present in the world. It was like trying to take away the sun or the rain, it was part of the world, even if it was unknown and a little scary from time to time. He just couldn't understand it. 

"So this place" he said gesturing to the room "is part of the rebellion in the segregated part of the kingdom?" Peter nodded in confirmation. "Do you know what they're planning?" 

"No" Peter huffed. "They won't tell me stuff like that" Steve laughed at that. 

"That's probably a good thing" God… What had he woken up into? He needed to talk to Fury or  _ someone _ to learn more about what had happened while he was asleep…

"But I want to do more" Peter whined. "All they've got me doing is tinkering with the equipment." 

"You an Artificer?" 

"Yes-No… It's not the only thing I can do and it's not what I'm best at. Besides I'm nowhere near the level of-" Peter let out another annoyed huff. "There aren't really any Artificers anymore so they need all the help they can get" Peter mumbled dejectedly. 

"What d'you mean?" Steve frowned. "There were plenty of them before." Practically every Artificer had been conscripted during the war. Constant upgrades, repairs and creations had been paramount to the war effort.

"They were rounded up after the war…" Peter said softly. "It was either work for the Enforcers or… well, disappear. It's another thing that's unknown. Gradually all the Artificers vanished. No one knows to where" the unsavory implications hung on the air. "Howard Stark was the last known, free Artificer, and then he died…"

"So who's making stuff for the rebellion now?" 

"No one knows" Peter said with a grin that made Steve raise an eyebrow. 

"You're pretty young to know all of this, is it all common knowledge?" 

"I doubt it. My family's been able to use magic for generations and my dad insisted that I learn the true history of magic, not what the government says about it.." it gave Steve pause for a moment. The world had really been turned upside down. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if  _ he _ were to walk into the capital. Would he be arrested, carted off, killed? Strictly speaking he couldn't use magic but he was definitely a product of magic… 

"He's in the news again" came a woman's voice from the doorway. 

"Really!" the excitement in Peter's voice was barely contained as he went to get up. The woman chuckled, claiming the kid and plopping the paper down in front of him. "Mr Stark stopped more of them?! I wish they would stop calling him a traitor though" Peter immediately deflated as he read the paper. 

"You know it's not true" came them gentle voice. Steve looked up to her. 

"Good afternoon Ma'am" he said politely. 

"Call me May please, Captain" so this was the boys Aunt?"

"Steve's fine" he replied in kind. "I'm sorry for your loss" he reached over and shook her hand and she gave him a sad smile. 

"So am I Steve, so am I…" 

* * *

"Seriously, it feels like you can't go five minutes without getting yourself into trouble."

"Now now Honey bear, you know how much I love courting fate." Tony had been spending the majority of his time in his study as of late. It probably wasn't a huge change from his usual activity but it was the only place in the Manor he felt truly safe… There were a multitude of undetectable charms protecting the room, originally put there by Howard but improved upon by Tony, which turned the room into a safe haven. 

The changes had been subtle, but he could tell his recent actions were wearing thin the patience of a fair few individuals. At first he didn't notice the same recurring faces that he saw outside the Manor gates. It was normal enough for people to be milling about the street as they entered various establishments, but noticing the same blonde haired girl for the fifth time in as many days, he had become suspicious. Through his own investigations as well as aid from Jarvis, he had become aware of at least a dozen individuals that were keeping tabs on the Manor. 

Obie was becoming untethered as well. He had pushed to have members of staff around Tony constantly, to what end Tony wasn't sure. He didn't know if Obie was trying to learn some kind of information from him through the staff, if he was trying to learn his routines, which Tony counteracted by not having one, or if he was hoping he'd slip up something that would give the Enforcers reason to investigate him. It made it ridiculously hard to do anything. Any time he left the house, he was followed, though he was unsure if the poorly hidden pursuers were employed by the Enforcers or his Uncle. 

Natalia had been confusing as well. It was hard to see her as a threat, because she didn't present herself as one. Tony refused to believe she was in the Manor by chance though. He'd asked Louise in no subtle terms to keep an eye on her and all he'd seemed to gain about the red head was that she seemed to disappear suddenly most of the time. 

All in all, he was frustrated. Since sending Peter off a couple of weeks ago, he'd only managed to cross the segregation line once. He was itching to work on his creations again, as well as speak to Strange, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to move. To keep up appearances, he'd  _ 'disappeared _ ' a couple of times, only losing himself in taverns and inns for a couple of days to keep up the illusion everything was normal. The people following him were surprisingly difficult to shake, and if he really did disappear, it might cause someone to act on something. 

Of course there could be another reason everyone was high strung. 

His singular recent meeting with Bruce and Strange had revealed that a previously presumed hero was back from the dead. Howard had never been shy about discussing the miracle that was Captain Steve Rogers or his role in creating the super soldier. Really Rogers transformation had been more down to Erskine, a talented Potioneer but Howard had definitely received a great deal of the praise. Growing up, Peggy Carter had told Tony it had been the combined efforts of the two of them amongst others, that created the Captain, but Howard still boasted about it. And why wouldn't he? Captain Rogers, even to this day, was a marvel of magic. To take a non magic, somewhat frail young man and turn him into a solider with improved senses, reflexes, strength along with making him impervious to almost all magics, illnesses, poisons… it had been ground breaking. No one had managed to replicate the elixir used on Rogers, not for the lack of trying… 

Strange had told him that the Captain had been found in the enchanted forest and while he'd briefly been awake, he had fallen back into unconsciousness almost immediately and had yet to wake up after a week. Tony had to assume that by now the Captain was awake. When Strange had told him, it had all been pretty hush hush but he was now hearing whispers of it on the streets, even the household staff were talking about it. The news that Captain Rogers had returned was spreading rapidly and it was having a rather…  _ interesting  _ effect on people. 

Doubt was, of course, rampant, with no one having actually seen the national hero, but even still, it was enough to spark discussions and debates. Captain Rogers represented an old world order, one in stark contrast to their current situation. Some speculated that his return, heralded the return of the old ways, or that he had been brought back by angry gods to restore the disrupted balance of magic. Others thought he was a sign to the establishment that the very symbol of the kingdom had returned to aid them in their pursuit of enforcing a ban on magic. Tony thought that unlikely but it was impossible to know which side of this Rogers would come down on, if he decided to take sides at all. Regardless, the news had peoples feathers ruffled. Unfortunately that meant rash actions were being taken which was resulting in making Tony's life rather difficult. 

"There's a lot of talk, Tony" Rhodey warned from the chair across from him. 

"There's always talk" Tony brushed the statement off. On the table he was fiddling with the inside of a pocket watch. Whatever he was doing made a white light periodically flare from within the cogs. Usually he would never dream of magically tinkering with anything in the Manor, but his lack of access to his experiments was driving him  _ mad.  _ He needed to  _ do _ something. 

"Tony I'm serious" Rhodey huffed. "The generals are plotting a way to take you down." 

Tony glanced up at his best friend. "You really think they can?" 

"Tony" Rhodey whined. "They may not have a legit reason to do so, but I reckon soon, that won't matter. They'll find a reason, fiction or otherwise, to take you out of the picture." 

"Well it's nice to know I have admirers" the statement only further exasperated Rhodey but Tony's mind was ticking. Rhodey was good for inside Intel of the military. Without a second thought, his best friend had signed up to serve the kingdom when he came of age. Tony had never begrudged him that, he'd supported him unwaveringly. However, given the recent circumstances, he was doubtful of his friends safety and he couldn't help but worry about what would happen if Rhodey was made to choose between his loyalties and his orders…

Still, it allowed for an insight into the military mindset. For even the branches of the armed forces, that had nothing to do with magical control, to be concerned with Tony's actions, something big was going on. Magic users were a surprisingly small percentage of the populace. It was why every Enforcer raid hit the magical community so hard. By all means, the Enforcers could wipe away the local magical population without too much effort. So why then were the raids so important, not just to the Enforcers, but to the military as a whole? By extension, why was Tony's interference  _ that _ much of an issue? Of course there were political climates  _ blah blah blah _ … but they were acting like every person Tony saved was a hard hit to them. Surely it wasn't as simple as him bruising their egos? For the army, and  _ really, _ by extension, the crown, to hold the raids in such high importance, something else  _ had  _ to be going on. Something bigger and more significant than simply cracking down on magic. It was linked to whatever they were doing with those they imprisoned, Tony was sure of it. 

"Tony" Rhodey said softly, and Tony wished he could erase the fear from his friends voice. "I'm worried about you man…" 

"I know" he replied plainly, for once letting his sarcastic nature sit on the back burner. "But I'm not gonna stop what I'm doing" Rhodey seemed to have expected this answer given his resigned sigh. "You know I can't." 

"I know" Rhodey repeated in a annoyed mutter. "You always play the selfish asshole but you never  _ could _ stand for letting people get hurt" at least there was a bit of a chuckle to the others voice now. 

"What can I say, my heart bleeds for the blighted few" Tony replied with his own chuckle, it pulled another smile out of Rhodey, which was a plus. "You have any idea how much time I've got?" Tony didn't really want to sour the conversation, but any bit of information he could gather was important. 

"I don't know… They want you to slip up somehow. They're fairly certain you can use magic" it made sense, given his parentage and his stance on magical rights "but if you don't they'll take matters into their own hands, they'll probably claim you can use magic and raid the Manor anyway… given the talk about Captain Rogers, it'll be sooner rather than later…" Tony bit his lip as he thought, it was getting to the point where he would have to disappear himself soon. 

"Alright…" he said absentmindedly "alright… You still got that communicator I gave you?" 

"If course" Rhodey confirmed with a nod. 

"Then I need a favour… I need you to look into where the Enforcers are taking the people they capture."

"Tony I-" 

"I can't do it myself" Tony cut off his complaints. "When things happen they'll happen quickly. I might not be in a position to move about freely" he gave Rhodey a pointed look. 

"That's not gonna be easy Tones." 

"I'm sure you'll manage" Tony said with a smile. "When you find out, let me know straight away. The distance shouldn't matter." 

"Distance? Wha-"

"The communicator. The distance won't be an issue." 

"Oh, going somewhere are you?" Rhodey challenged. 

"Most probably" Tony apologised. 

"I won't let you go alone" his friend stressed. 

"I won't be alone" Tony promised. "Honestly I won't. But I need you to stay in the army. You're in the best position to find things out from inside the military. Hardly anyone knows you're connected to me, if they make a move against me, you have to stay neutral." 

"Tony, I never agreed with these rules on magic, but if they come after you I'm not gonna stand by and watch them kill you" the fierceness in Rhodey's voice made something in Tony's chest clench. He always forgot how much his friend cared for him. 

"As if the Enforcers could kill or catch me" Tony scoffed but gave Rhodey a genuine smile. "I'll be fine. I won't let them hurt a single hair on my pretty little head." 

Rhodey gave him another huffed chuckle. "You'll keep me in the loop right? You're not vanishing without a trace and leaving me to worry." Rhodey warned. 

"Wouldn't dream of it…" 

* * *

The first time Steve saw a child in the compound, it had been awful. His improved hearing alerted him to the commotion as people entered the building. As he made his way downstairs he picked up various voices, some yelling and some crying. 

When he got to the kitchen he was greeted with the sight of controlled chaos. The table had been cleared an upon it laid a child no older than eleven. There were two women a man hovering over the child, calling to others to bring them supplies one of them was Peter's Aunt May. The child was badly hurt. 

Off to the side a man was holding back a younger child as she cried out for the boy on the table. A woman was next to them, a wound from her head making blood trickle down her face and over her cheek. She was pushing away a woman who was trying to heal her, completely invested in the unconscious boy on the table. 

No one even registered his presence in the kitchen and even though he wanted to help in some way, he knew better than to interfere. 

Form the large stone archway entrance to the kitchen, Peter came running, heading straight for his Aunt. He handed something to her and she immediately shooed him away. Peter backed off as the three adults surrounded the table. They began muttering words on low voices as their hands began to glow. 

Peter left them to it and upon spotting Steve he walked over to him. "What happened to them?" Steve asked once the boy was within earshot. 

"Someone saw them crossing the borderline and chased them down."

Steve's eyes roamed over the kid on the table. "Even the children?" 

Peter followed his eye line with a frown. "I don't really think they care…" his voice was strained. "Some of the rebellion agents managed to get them here and fight off the border patrols." Steve clenched his jaw as he studied the scene before him. The boys eyes flickered open making his mother cry out in relief. 

"Where is Fury?" he tried to keep the anger out of his voice, though he saw the fierceness of it make Peter frown. 

"I'm his office I think… I can take you there if you want?" 

Steve dragged his eyes back to Peter and nodded. "Yeah… If you would…"

* * *

_ "Sir. I have received a message from Doctor Strange."  _

_ "What is it J?"  _ Tony blinked rapidly trying to banish the water from his eyes. His hood was doing little to shield him from the downpour. The thunderstorm definitely helped hide his presence but he was soaked. The rain might as well be sleet it was so cold. It seeped into all of his clothes, chilling his skin. His back had been spared somewhat by the heavy cloak he wore but it was little protection against a winter thunderstorm. 

_ "He requests that upon your arrival, you refrain from entering the house."  _

_ "What does he want me to do out here?"  _ Tony hissed. " _ Die from exposure?"  _

_ "He had unexpected visitors"  _ Jarvis stated. 

" _ Since when has anything been unexpected to Strange?"  _ Tony moved a little faster, eager to find some kind of shelter. Jarvis didn't answer him, he had learned by now which of Tony's ramblings required responses. 

He wouldn't ignore the warning though despite the ludicrousness of the message. How could his guests be 'unexpected' but Tony wasn't? He hadn't told Strange he was heading over. 

He and Jarvis had allowed Strange to be one of the few people permitted to reach out to Jarvis to send messages. He seldom used it though which just made the occasions that he did all the more important. He assumed whoever was with Strange had something to do with the rebellion. Though it probably wasn’t a bad play to expose himself to them, Tony wanted to keep his cards close to his chest for now. Just because he didn’t agree with what the government was doing, didn’t mean he would agree with everything the Rebellion would do. He took solace in the fact that at least the Rebellion wasn’t just mindlessly killing people, as far as he knew. 

Another flash of lightning lit up the world around him, shining off the cobblestones. As to be expected in a storm like this, the streets were empty, it would only be an idiot like himself that would venture out during a storm like this. The accompanying thunder rattled the windows of the buildings he passed though Tony could barely hear it over the wind. This was a route he was very familiar with. He’d been sneaking across the border since he was a teenager, he could detail every house he passed along the way, but now, in the midst of nature's chaos, everything was dark and unrecognisable. This cornered off section of the kingdom was pretty close to the main city, having once been apart of it. The hastily made town laid in the shadow of a vast forest, no matter where you were, you could see the trees that surrounded it, hugging all but one border of the town. Above the canopies and in the distance stood the even taller branches of the Enchanted Forest, it’s uppermost trees sitting like dark clouds on the horizon. All in all it made the small part of the kingdom feel dark and closed off, backed away into a corner. Not that you see any of that at the moment. Any glance off into the distance was virtually impossible. 

The windows of the buildings were lit with the warm glow of fires and magic, casting yellows and oranges against the greys of the storm. Even caught up in the maelstrom the lights were comforting. There were people thriving here, using magic freely to keep themselves and their loved ones warm and dry, something that was hard to do in the city not far away. 

Tony slipped off of the cobblestones, heading for a dirt path. The further he walked, the more the buildings began to thin, the stone lining walkways all but vanished to be replaced by dirt and grass now thick with mud from the rain. Free from buildings, nature began to take over, trees began to surround the path, finally giving Tony some kind of respite from the rain and harsh winds. Lightning continued to crack overhead, the thunder now shaking the trees and as they became denser the air became filled with the sound of rustling leaves and creaking branches rather than groaning buildings. He walked for another good ten minutes before a structure became visible ahead. It was a tall house. Somewhat slender in width but it stretched high into the trees and was built back far. The house came to a point amongst the high branches, though right now Tony couldn’t see it. He could barely make out the enormous window that covered the front of the buildings upper floors. The window was made of domed glass, rimmed by a golden looking frame that crept onto the glass in circles and swirls. Through it only dull light was visible and nothing else, an illusion created by Strange though Tony thought the whole thing rather redundant. Why have such a large window in the first place if you valued your privacy? Still, in the storm it stood out like a beacon, calling to Tony that he’d be out of the cold soon, or at least whenever Strange managed to grant him entry. 

As he got closer to the house he slowed, listening out for anything coming from within. He didn't hear anything of course, but some kind of warning or gesture from Strange would have been welcomed. 

“ _ Sir, Doctor Strange asks that you head to the front of the house”  _ Jarvis’ voice rang out clearly in his mind, not having to battle the whirlwind of noise created by the weather. So he was to avoid the backdoor that led off the kitchen then? Alright then. He headed towards the front door but he remained wary. He passed through the currently barren front garden, trying to avoid damaging any of the bare flower bushes, he didn’t want to sit through another Strange lecture on property damage, even if it was only over a few plants. He chose a spot under a tree and slipped into place, not the wisest move in a thunderstorm, but if he was going to hang around in the rain he needed somewhere both hidden and that could provide him some kind of shelter. He was tempted to warm himself with magic, perhaps create a small fire in his palms but doing either could draw attention to himself if someone was on the lookout. Instead he just wrapped his damp cloak around himself, shuffling from foot to foot in an effort to stay warm. 

His wait under the tree in Strange’s front garden felt like it lasted for hours, though he knew it couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. Strange might be an asshole but he wouldn’t leave him to freeze and he had no doubt the Seer knew he was here. 

“Tony!” a voice whisper shouted. Bruce? Tony peeped out from behind the tree and sure enough he spotted Bruce with his head popped out of the front door. His desperation to get out of the cold overrode his need to hide and Tony wasted no time jogging over to the welcoming light that spilled out from the ajar door, dropping the glamour on him and Jarvis as he went. 

Bruce ushered them inside, closing the door gently. The look Bruce gave him once he could properly see Tony was incredulous, he went to say something but shook his head, putting a finger to his lips and motioning to Tony to follow him. 

The difference between inside and out was instant and extremely gratifying. Tony wanted to shed his water heavy outerwear but took the cue from Bruce and followed after him. Down the corridor he could hear people speaking, and as he assumed, it was coming from the kitchen. There was no telling exactly how many people were in there, but it didn’t matter. In fact, at the moment, nothing mattered more than getting warm and dry once more. 

To his surprise, Bruce didn’t lead him to the basement but instead took him up the grand staircase. As they went Tony did his best to magic away the water that trailed behind him, though his control over that particular element wasn’t perfect, or at least he hadn’t perfected it yet…

Bruce seemed to relax once they were upstairs. Tony guessed it made sense to come up here. To head to the basement, they would have to have moved within inches of the kitchen doorway, not really ideal… besides, he wasn’t here to tinker. Instead Bruce led him to what seemed like a reading room and once the door was shut Bruce let out a sigh. “Jeez Tony, you look awful.”

“Well forgive me for not turning up in my Sunday best” Tony huffed but eagerly shed his cloak. A large fire was roaring in the fireplace so Tony sent the cloak over to a clothes horse that materialised next to the flames. 

“You must be freezing” Bruce pushed Tony across the room also placing him by the fire. Tony had to admit, he  _ was  _ cold. He took his boots off also along with his socks, putting the latter on the clothes horse as well. “Maybe I should get you some dry clothes” Bruce offered and Tony, despite the jokes he wanted to make about Bruce getting him to strip, accepted eagerly. Thank the heavens for magic as Bruce didn’t have to leave him to get the items, instead they appeared in the Poitioneers hands. Tony muttered his thanks and began to shed his clothes, leaving his underwear on, trying to ignore how he was shivering as he did so. Even just with the damp clothes off Tony felt warmer. Before taking the articles of clothing he sent warm air around himself, banishing the cold damp from his skin. It felt great. Tony finally felt like he could properly move his fingers which had been stiff from the cold. 

Just as he was reaching over to take the clothing from Bruce the door creaked open. Tony was far from body shy so he made no move to hide himself, fulling expecting Strange to appear in the doorway. The sight that greeted him however was a blushing Captain Steve Rogers in all his glory, desperately trying to look anywhere but Tony who was in nothing but his underwear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I will eventually get off of exposition >.<  
> Thank you so much for all the comments and Kudos so far. You guys are amazing and I don't feel like I deserve all of it. I hope you're still enjoying the fic ^^  
> \- Micky


	4. Chapter 4

Strange was a… uh… strange man. He was like no Seer Steve had ever met. He most certainly carried an air of self importance that annoyed him about most Seers but it was less grandiose and more… narcissistic. His arrogance seemed to stem in his confidence of his knowledge rather than his ability to see the future. In fact that particular ability of his was not even mentioned, something that most Seers typically flaunted about. It didn't mean he liked the man though. 

Still, he hadn't turned them away when they showed up at his home without warning and he had offered them food and drink, the tea going down a treat in combating the bitter cold of outside. 

After witnessing the “arrival” of the family in the compound, Steve had gone to find Fury. He didn't know if the man was fully in charge of the Rebellion but he was certain the man had some form of high ranking. Peter had led him to his "office", though Steve suspected that it might have once been a bedroom. Fury wasn't there though so they decided to wait for him to show up. 

He and Peter had spent a good half an hour leaning against a banister, watching people flit about below them. There was more yelling and people carrying things back and forth but Steve let it wash over him despite every ounce of him wanting to help in some way. 

He kept the conversation between the two of them light, though he could tell that like himself, Peter was focused on what was happening downstairs, neither of them were healers so they would probably just be getting in the way if they were down there. 

Eventually a rather irritated looking Fury stomped his way up the stairs, followed by two men, one of whom looked rather worn out with a bad looking burn on his forearm. He was dressed in leathers like Fury, but rather than being dressed completely in black like Fury, there were pops of maroon in the fabric. The colour scheme followed over into an impressive looking bow and packed quiver at his back. There were multiple burn marks all over his right side, his arm guard was hanging on by a thread, partially covering his burnt skin. The rest of his clothes were singed and badly damaged. 

The other nameless man was dressed more formally. He looked a little worn out but otherwise seemed to be uninjured.

Fury did nothing more than raise an eyebrow at the two of them once he noticed them, continuing up the stairs and not stopping on his way to his office when he reached the landing. 

"Rogers. Parker" the man said once he reached them. "To what do I owe this visit?" 

"Sir" Steve replied with a nod. "I need to have a word with you about what's going on here" he cast his eyes back to the balcony before looking back at Fury. 

Fury stuck him with a hard stare before coming to some kind of decision and nodding. "Barton, go with Mr Parker to receive medical treatment" he ordered. Both Peter and the man with the burnt arm went to protest but a hard glare quietened the two quickly. “Perhaps Mr Parker can look over your gear while you’re down there” it didn’t really sound like a suggestion and neither Peter or Barton looked like they took it as one. They both gave Fury a nod, though Peter looked more resigned than Barton, and both of them made their way over to the stairs. As he descended, Peter threw one last look at Steve, The kid gave Steve a half hearted smile which Steve returned. Poor kid… He understood all too well what it was like to want to prove yourself, to be underestimated over and over again, to want to help people… he was sure Peter would get his chance though.

Glancing back at Fury, Steve saw that the man was fiddling with his door knob. For a moment the round knob flared a bright red, it almost looked painful, hot to the touch, but Fury didn’t react to it. The red glowed brighter where Fury’s skin was touching the metal handle and slowly the red traveled to the rest of the decorative dark metal that was embossed into the door. The door became aglow with red swirling scrolls and despite how the intensity of it made his heartbeat quicken, Steve had to admit it was quite beautiful. After a couple of seconds the glow faded and a soft _click_ came from the door. Fury entered the room first while the other man lingered by the door, holding it open and gesturing Steve inside. 

The room was… nondescript really. So much so, its plainess was rather jarring. The brown wood of the floor and walls were bare and what little furniture was in there bore no decorations or trinkets. The two things of note in the room was the double bed, adored with nothing but white sheets and pillows, and a large desk, also with nothing on it… 

Steve was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door closing. Any noise from beyond the door became significantly dampened. 

"I assume you haven't met Coulson yet" Fury said, gesturing to the other man by the door as he took a seat behind his desk. 

"No Sir" he said as his eyes took in the other man. 

"He was the one who found you sticking out of the ground" Fury said plainly. 

"Oh. Thank you" Steve said suddenly feeling awkward. “I must have given you a fright.”

Coulson gave him a smile. “On the contrary, it was an honor to be part of the team that found you” he said as he moved further into the room. He passed Steve and sat down in an armchair that Steve was certain hadn’t been there before. “Please take a seat” he said, gesturing to an area behind Steve. Steve turned his head to find another chair having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He looked from the chair to Fury and then Coulson with a frown. However fine he was with magic he didn’t appreciate being messed with. Both men looked back at him with matching blank faces which Steve gained nothing from. He lowered himself into the seat trying to keep his expressions as controlled as possible. He had a suspicion that he was being judged. 

“Now, what was it, exactly, was it that you wanted to know?” Fury asked him from across the desk. 

There were a couple of ways he could play this, and if Fury was using this as an opportunity to size him up, Steve could do the same in return. “Not that I don't appreciate all that you’ve done for me, giving me somewhere to stay…” he started carefully. “But I can’t help but feel like I’m being intentionally left in the dark” he kept his eyes on Fury as he spoke. 

“And what, would it be, that you’re being left in the dark about?” Fury asked slowly, carefully. His elbows were resting on the table top, his fingers neatly steepled in front of his lips. 

It was a test of some sort. “The world’s changed” Steve said simply. “You told me that yourself… though it would seem I was spared some details.”

"You don't think there might have been a good reason for that?" Fury's single eye was hard as it stared at him. 

"With all due respect, Sir, I don't take kindly to people making decisions for me, especially ones regarding what I need to know." 

"What is it that you need to know?" Fury's tone was now light as if he were brushing off some trivial matter. 

Steve narrowed his eyes somewhat. "I don't know what you're trying to accomplish by withholding information from me" he kept his voice level trying not to let his frustration bleed into his words. "Are you trying to spare me from something..?" his eyes met Fury's again holding them there. "Or are you worried that if I had all the facts, our opinions would differ." That got a lip quirk out of Fury, nothing overt but the upturn of the corner of his mouth was definitely there. He sat there for a moment, eyes on the table rather than Steve. 

"These are dangerous times" Fury said eventually. "And it'll only get worse… A… difference of interests, may cost something severe…" he dropped his arms and leaned back in his chair, looking over Steve once again. "Now I know you've been getting friendly with Mr Parker. From what I can tell the info he's spilled to you isn't inaccurate… But perhaps this is something you should think over before running head first into this mess." 

"I'm not going to sit by while innocent people are being attacked." Steve protested. 

"While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't think you understand the severity of what's going on here."

Steve could feel himself bristle. "I'm no stranger to conflict" he stated firmly. "And I'm not one to run from it." 

Fury had the gall to let out a small chuckle. "No one's question your war record here Captain." He fixed Steve with another one of those stares. "When you went to war, the fighting was on the front lines, behind enemy lines, far from home. Your enemy was foreign, an easily identifiable target, using magic and people in ways that were abhorrent. They threaten our very homeland with death and destruction." 

Steve wasn't sure he appreciated the history lesson considering he lived through it. 

"This time though" his eye bore into Steve once again "we're not just fighting a threat. We're fighting an idea. We're fighting against people who don't know any better than to fear and hate magic, a society where people are shown over and over again that magic is bad… and that there are consequences for being able to use magic… We are not just fighting for people to be safe in their homes, it's those very people currently safe in their homes that we need to fight!" And just like that something clicked into place. It wasn't so much that Fury believed he might choose to support the other side of the conflict, he was concerned that Steve wouldn't be able to view the very people he fought to protect as their opposition. And now that he thought about it, he didn't know if he could. 

Sensing Steve's shift in thought Fury sighed softly. "I'm not gonna lie, it would be a big help, having you join our movement, but there'll be aspects of this that you won't like…" 

Steve took a breath. "I've never been a fan of bullies…" he said slowing, trying to think as he spoke. "If it were the other way around, and it was those without magic being attacked, I'd feel the same… But I can't sit back and do nothing… Not when I can help…" Fury templed his fingers again as he thought, his gaze flicked to Coulson and for a moment Steve wondered if they were communicating with each other. 

"Okay then Captain…" Fury said at length "If you want in, then welcome to the rebellion" he said parting his hands as he lent back in his chair once again. Steve wasn't really sure how he felt about it, but if he could help people then he was good so he gave Fury a nod. 

"Now, as for what we're currently doing" Fury began again. "Our main goal right now is the relocation and protection of those who've been placed under the government's eye." 

"Like the family that arrived tonight" Steve could still see the poor child in his mind. 

"Correct. Some years ago, when this was just a small project, the government and the Enforcers didn't give a crap about a few magic users disappearing. It was quite easy to shore up here, but recently… Everything's gone to hell. Our sources are yet to be confirmed but we reckon the real shift happened about 7 years ago. The border patrol began actively looking for fugitives, intent on either killing or capturing them. The Enforcers stopped segregating magic users entirely, they either died or disappeared. People began to be attacked in their homes, the laws on magic became stricter… "

" What's significant about that date?" Steve asked with a frown. 

" As I said we don't have concrete proof, but we believe that was when General Thaddeus Ross was made the head of the Enforcer unit."

"Thaddeus Ross?" Steve echoed. Fury fumbled in a draw before bringing out a small crystal ball, though this one was different from others Steve had seen. It wasn't clear all the way through, it was filled with geometric lines that criss crossed over each other. When Fury stroked his hand over the sphere, the image of a man in military clothing was projected above the glass. He had a stern expression, salt and pepper hair and a dark mustache. 

"His hate for those with magic is well documented, though details are sparse. Both his wife and daughter were known magic users" Fury waved his hand over the crystal ball, making the image flicker, when it settled there were two women projected beside Ross. "Not long before he was promoted they both mysteriously vanished."

"You think Ross had something to do with it?" 

"We don't know for sure. Just that they disappeared. If they were lucky, they ran and managed to hide…" 

"Why would he be so against magic if his family could use it?" 

"Only he knows that" Fury's voice was resigned as he shook his head at the image. "According to what little we could find out, other promotions and staff switches happened about that time. That was about the time when they officially stopped using the name Shield. Seems the bastards aren't all that interested in shoring up the kingdoms defences from outside anymore." Steve frowned at that… That was a risky move, just because they weren't currently at war, didn't mean they'd never be vulnerable again." That… was also around the time of Howard Starks death…" Steve felt his throat close up. He hadn't been close to Stark exactly but he couldn't deny it hurt to hear of his death, and only 7 years ago… If he'd woken up sooner… 

"You think the timing's significant?" the words felt heavy in his mouth. Peter had said that he'd been killed on the road… If he was wrong… 

"I think the timing was… beneficial to certain parties. He was quite vocal about the proposed changes in the government, something I hear his son has continued" Fury said with a chuckle. "His voice was well respected, if the Enforcers had touched him, he would have been heralded a martyr." 

"So you think someone had him killed?" Steve had no desire to beat around the bush about this. 

"All I'm saying is that it's a little suspicious that a man who was the literal definition of magical defence, was supposedly taken out by mere highwaymen, just when his protests were causing upheaval to certain military units…" Steve let that sink in. He didn't want to take it personally, he should see the bigger picture of those suffering but he couldn't help but feel his blood boil at the thought that the Enforcers had killed someone he deemed a friend, and a good man to boot. "A military unit he never left by the way." Steve glanced back up at Fury as he spoke. "He was determined to keep Shield going for as long as possible. By the time I met him, I think his fate was sealed." 

"You were part of Shield?" 

"Not exactly. Stark approached a few of us. Coulson, myself and some others. He wanted to rebuild Shield, separate it from the Enforcers entirely. It was gonna take a lot to get it done but I believed Howard Stark could have done it." 

"That's what made him a threat to the Enforcers?" Steve guessed. 

"Amongst other things, he was no longer building weapons for the military and with most the other Artificers gone, he had a lot of say in what was being built." Steve bit his lip as he thought. Why was taking out magic users suddenly so important to the government? To go out of their way to have Howard assassinated? It seemed a bit much." He lived well, in the end" Fury said after a moment his eye was still hard but it looked softer somehow. "He lived a long life, as magic users tend to do and I think he could have, _should_ have, lived longer but… He lived well" he repeated. 

"Thank you…" Steve said after a moment, not knowing until just then that he had needed to hear that. At least in all the loss he had been swarmed by there was something positive. Fury nodded in response. 

"We've been operating without an official name for some time, but there have been talks of liberating the name Shield, an idea from a few of our younger recruits…" Fury said with a smile. 

"I think that's a good idea…" Steve mused. "It evokes the old ways, of collaboration rather than retaliation…" 

"And what about you? Is the war hero ready to step back into the light?" 

"I am" Steve said not missing a beat. "But I'm not doing just for those with magic, I'm doing it for everyone, for the kingdom, for peace." 

Fury gave him a sly smile. "Do you think this is only affecting magic users?" he asked with a raised brow. "Or that they're the only ones against this?" 

"Of course not." Peter had told him as much. "I can't use magic but I'd never begrudge someone who could."

Fury seemed to accept that. "Well that makes two of us" he said with an amused smile. 

"You can't-" 

"Ha. No I cannot" Fury replied with a scoff. Steve looked between back and forth between Fury and Coulson. The latter shook his head with a smile. 

"Both of you can't use magic? Then what's with all this" Steve asked as he gestured around the room. 

"Just cause I can't use magic, doesn't mean I don't utilise it" Fury replied with a raised eyebrow. 

For some reason, Steve had envisioned that all the leaders of this "movement" would be powerful magic users, that everything was being ran by those most threatened. It was significant, he thought to himself. It made it feel less like one side attacking another and more like a cry for acceptance and the mutual integration they had now lost. Or so thought Steve. 

"You've got some pretty interesting stuff in here…" he said nodding towards to Crystal ball which was no longer emitting anything. "I don't remember seeing stuff like that before." 

"There's probably gonna be a lot of that" Fury apologised "Howard was always pushing new ideas and creations, and some of the stuff we have now is like nothing you'll find anywhere else."

That pinged something in Steve's brain. "Peter seemed to imply you have a mysterious benefactor" Steve said slowly. 

"Oh I have a pretty good idea of where its coming from. I just don't have the proof" Fury replied with an amused smile. "The stuff goes from this nameless benefactor to Strange, the Seer who told us where to find you, and he gives it to us." 

"And you trust that?" 

"I trust Strange" Fury stated firmly. "As much as I would like to whack the guy on the back of his pompous head. He's one of the others approached by Howard Stark at the beginning of all this."

"And he's never told you who makes the items. What if it's him?" 

That actually managed to get a genuine laugh out of Fury. "Oh please. If Strange could make all of this stuff, he would let us know, and he'd make sure, regularly, not to let us forget it. No, they're coming from someone else. I'm happy to let them stay hidden, considering how beneficial the creations are." Steve could accept that, considering everything, perhaps the Artificer couldn't afford to let his identity be known.

"Speaking of creations" Fury said as he rose from his chair. "I believe this, belongs to you" in his hands was a piece of round metal that Steve recognised immediately. When Fury rounded the table, Steve stood also and accepted the item without a word. 

The shields weight was a familiar comfort in his hands. Something about it settled a previously before unaddressed anxiety in him. It was like getting back a piece of himself. The star in it's centre seemed to sing to him, something Steve was certain he was imagining but he could feel the magic in the item flying over the metal.

"It was found not far from where you were." Fury said after a moment. 

"Thank you" Steve said finally. "I thought it had been lost." 

Fury's lips twitched upwards for a moment. "You're welcome. We'll need to kit you up with some new clothes as well" he said as he moved back around the table. "Something stronger than just cotton."

"If you really want to be a part of this, I can have things ready by tomorrow" Coulson said from his side. 

"I do" Steve nodded. 

"Okay then. Welcome aboard Captain Rogers. I look forward to working with you" he gave Steve a wide smile and stood up. After giving a nod to Fury, Coulson exited the room. 

"He's quite a fan of you" Fury chuckled after a beat. 

"What, really?" 

"Yeah. He's got a load of the promotional material and propaganda you made during the war." 

Steve cringed. He had hoped time would have erased that part of his life from common knowledge. It would seem not… "Give him time, and hell probably ask you to sign some of it." Steve gave Fury a skeptical look. He'd hated the fame and gushing that had followed him around before he had been allowed to properly join the war effort. Over and over again he had tread the line between thinking the whole experience pointless and understanding why it was important for public morale. 

"I would like to say using your name and image won't be beneficial but…" Fury looked somewhat apologetic as he trailed off and Steve sighed. 

"I understand" Steve conceded. "But I trust you won't take it too far." He made his voice firm, a warning. While could understand the need he refused to be taken advantage of. Fury gave him a nod of understanding in return. 

“We’ll see about where to get you new equipment, briefings and a proper tour of this place. For now just be ready to move at a moment’s notice.”

“Yes Sir” Steve didn’t try to stop the feeling of relief that swept through him knowing he would no longer be sitting around idle. 

* * *

He still wasn’t exactly sure why he had been brought along to meet with Strange. When Fury had found him that morning, he’d just said they were going to meet someone. His conversation with Fury had given him the impression that Strange might be a difficult man to get along with and he ended up being both right and wrong. It was like he knew how to make you comfortable, knowing without being told how to act around you but at the same time be extremely self absorbed and condescending… It was a rather jarring mix. They had luckily avoided the worst of the storm on the short journey to Strange’s house. The rain had only just begun to fall, though it was still bitterly cold. The house itself was Strange too. From the outside the only thing impressive about it was the huge window that spanned the majority of the upper building, inside though, the building was deceptively huge. He hadn’t seen much of it, having been taken straight to the kitchen but the way Strange had casually mentioned other parts of his house, like the study, lab , library and multiple bedrooms, Steve figured there was a lot more to the house than met the eye. 

In that annoying way Strange managed to do two opposing things at once, he acted both fascinated and completely bored by Steve. And it wasn’t in the way he was used to people acting weird around him where they would be holding back their glee of meeting him in a bid to be polite. He felt more like Strange viewed him as a specimen to be studied but cared little about Steve as a person. It definitely made him question why both Howard and Fury trusted this man… He could feel the magic coming off him though. He had no doubt that Strange was powerful. Though he couldn’t use magic, the elixir had given him a kind of sixth sense when it came to magic. He could feel, read and even track it very well. It came in handy in a pinch when trying to track someone down. The entire house buzzed with it, so much so that he would almost say it was disorientating. He would managed though. 

Coulson, Barton and a woman called Maria Hill had come with Fury and himself to meet with Strange. The other addition to their little party was Peter. Steve suspected that, much like himself, Peter had cabin fever of the worst kind. Knowing that they were heading out to do something in regards to the Rebellion, the kid had begged to also come along. Fury had argued with him for a bit, but Steve couldn’t blame him for eventually crumbling to Peter’s puppy dog eyes. It told Steve one thing though; this meeting definitely wasn’t information sensitive if he was going to let Peter tag along. 

On their arrival, Strange had let them in, seemingly not even a little surprised by their presence, and had offered them refreshments as they talked around the kitchen table. Peter was endlessly amused by a cloak that Strange had that acted as if it was alive. It preened off the attention Peter gave it, doing tricks and serving Peter extra tea and slices of cake, Strange just sighed at the whole thing. 

Conversation had predominantly been about gear. Magical clothing and items that they were currently in short supply of. Strange had said he would take the list of requests but warned that the Rebellion might have to wait a while for them. Fury had initially frowned at this but before he could complain about it Strange told them that their supplier was currently indisposed. Peter’s head shot up at that. “Did something happen to them?” He stopped playing with the cloak and focused on Strange. 

Strange gave Peter an almost secretive smile. “I assure you they are currently in good health.” Some of the tension in Peter’s shoulders bled out of him at that and he nodded back at Strange. Steve watched as a flicker of amusement passed over Fury’s face as he watched Peter before turning back to Strange. 

“Well then, keep me posted” Fury said with a sigh of frustration. Talk then turned to other things. Steve kept up with the political talk for as long as he could, though there were too many unfamiliar names for him to fully understand everything. Once they moved on to border patrols Steve finally felt like he was back on familiar ground. He could help strategize patrol patterns and even Peter helped come up with ideas, earning him a couple of proud glances from the other people in the room. 

As they spoke the storm outside got worse, though the house stayed warm and for the most part, unaffected. The whipping winds and thunder could still be heard however. It made Steve glad to be inside and by the sounds of it, it wasn’t going to let up any time soon. 

Despite him being cautious of Strange, Steve found the atmosphere rather pleasant. It was clear that Maria, Fury, Barton and Coulson all knew each other well and once some of the more pressing issues had been discussed, things became a little less serious, and it was nice. 

Whilst Peter and Barton were discussing possible ways to improve Bartons arrows, Steve heard a noise down the hall. It was footsteps. He had assumed there was no one else in the house. Maybe Strange lived with someone? Whoever they were, they were keeping their footfalls light and cautious. Nobody else reacted to them so he must have picked them up with his enhanced hearing. He was torn between asking Strange if there was someone here or ignoring it. When he flicked his eyes up to the man he found him staring right back at him with a smirk plastered on his face. It caught Steve completely off guard and something about the look on his face felt intrusive, like Strange was looking right into his mind. Which he couldn’t thanks to the elixir. He broke eye contact when he heard the front door close and more footsteps. He looked back at Strange who now raised an eyebrow at him and tilted his head towards the doorway. Steve frowned back, not sure what this man was trying to tell him. 

“You okay there Steve?” Maria asked jogging him out of his thoughts. 

“Ah yes” he replied with a smile before turning the same smile on Strange. “Where’s your bathroom?” he asked politely. 

“Upstairs, first floor, third door on the right” Strange told him, still with that smile on his face. Steve muttered a thank you and made his way out of the room, letting out a small sigh of relief when he was out of sight of the kitchen. 

Steve headed back towards the front door. Whoever had been here had moved on. He could feel traces of magic that he hadn’t felt earlier lingering here and at the bottom of the stairs. Focusing, he could hear the same footsteps now shuffling above him. Really he should leave well enough alone… Strange must be aware there were other people in his house? He didn’t seem like the type who let anything slip by him… but there was something. Some nagging in the back of his head to at least check on who was upstairs. He couldn’t explain why but Steve had always trusted his instincts, so he decided not to question them this time and slowly made his way up the stairs. 

He could faintly make out two voices but not what they were saying as he got to the landing. Whatever they were talking about, the tone seemed light enough which probably ruled out intruders but he still approached the door he figured they were behind, almost as if he was being drawn there. 

He waited for a second before something compelled him to open the door. 

There were two occupants in the room, two men and neither seemed to notice him straight away. Steve however, as much as he'd like to deny it, instantly zeroed in on one of them. For a split second it was like he completely forgot his surroundings while his eyes moved form the barely clad figure's lean chest and down to his toned legs and back up. Because of his positioning in front of the fire, there was a warm glow around him, the soft light bouncing off of his tanned skin and making him look almost angelic. Steve's eyes were locked on the dips and curves of the strangers body barely registering the way his heartbeat quickened somewhat. 

The moment he realised what he was doing, he felt his face flame, mentally berating himself. Surely he wasn't that hard up..? Despite the seventy years of… inactivity… 

He swallowed the lump that had materialised in his throat and tore his eyes away from the body that had captured his attention out of nowhere. It was completely out of character for him, God, he hadn't even noticed the guys face… 

A noise from the rooms occupants indicated that they had finally noticed him and damn if his blush didn't deepen because of it. 

"Well this is a little unexpected…" came a voice which gave a Steve enough of a reason to look back at the two occupants. What greeted him was a, well groomed, cheerful and somewhat amused face, which did nothing to alleviate the flush in his cheeks. 

"For god sakes Tony" the fully clothed man huffed and shoved previously unnoticed clothing at the man in his underwear and stepped in front of him in what was clearly a protective manner. "I'm sorry, can we help you?" he asked with a strained smile. 

Steve tried to formulate some kind of reason for why he had even come in here, not really understanding why himself. He was spared by a pair of arms casually throwing themselves over the man's shoulder in a loose hug and a face appeared to rest on them. 

"Come on Bruce, you can let the good captain look if he wants to" came a teasing voice from the man called 'Tony' . 

'Bruce' rolled his eyes and shook head before letting out an exasperated sigh. 

"You know who I am?" Steve blurted out without thinking. He was really putting his foot in his mouth today wasn't he? 

"Of course I do" Tony said with a smile, still leaning over Bruce's shoulder, and still barely dressed. "You're something of a childhood hero of mine. And the shield on your back gives you away" he chuckled. 

"You're Captain Rogers?" Bruce's eyes bugged out a little as he was dawned with realisation. 

"Er, yes" Steve replied still feeling somewhat awkward. "Sorry for interrupting… what, er, whatever it was you were doing." 

Bruce let out another sigh. 

"Don't worry, nothing untoward’s going on, Bruce here was just making sure I didn't freeze to death from the storm." Tony's arms moved so he could squeeze Bruce's shoulders with a grin. 

"Tony will you get dressed" Bruce chided, though Steve didn't miss the amused twitch of his lips. 

There came a grumbled "fine" from behind Bruce and Tony's head disappeared from Bruce's shoulder. Bruce shook his head again but there was still a smile on his lips. 

"Sorry about all this" Bruce apologised whilst gesturing behind him. "I'm Bruce by the way, Bruce Banner. I've read quite a bit about you" he said extending a hand. Steve took it with a smile, moving further into the room, and shook Bruce's hand. 

"Its okay" he replied with a chuckle, glancing back at Tony. The man was decent again, sans socks and shoes. "Are the two of you also here to see Strange?" 

Bruce gave him another strained smile. "In a manner of speaking, yes" he had quite a soft voice, all gentle and comforting. 

"We thought it best to wait until you lot were done" Tony said now moving to stand by Bruce. There was something striking about him, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Considering the storm I reckon you'll all be hanging around for a while?" 

"I imagine so" Steve said as he glanced at the window, noticing that the weather hadn't changed at all. 

Tony let out a soft hum at that, almost seeming disappointed. Maybe he was in a rush? Steve looked about the rest of the room, noticing the clothing drying by the fire. Only one set though… had Bruce already been here? 

"Might as well get comfortable then" Tony said with a shrug. "I'm Tony as you've probably gathered by now. I have to say, I never would have thought I'd meet you in the flesh." Steve felt his cheeks flush a little again at that. "Are you here with the rebellion?" he moved back into the room a little and plopped down on one of the various armchairs. 

Bruce also moved back into the room, walking over to the fireplace and fiddling with something. 

"Yes, we needed to talk to Strange about a few... things" he said, trying to keep the information close to his chest, for now, as harmless as they seemed, Steve didn't know if he could trust them yet. 

"So you joined the rebellion?" Tony asked with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Yes, though nobody knows that yet" Steve said with a small smile. Tony returned the look making something shift about in Steve's chest. “Are you with the Rebellion?”

“No” Tony replied without hesitation. “I’m just an old friend of Strange, popping by for a visit.” 

“You picked a hell of a night for it” Steve gestured to the window. 

“Well we can’t choose when our problems crop up” Tony replied with a shrug. Steve frowned a little, it wasn’t his place to ask if the other needed some kind of help, especially since it seemed he’d come here to speak to Strange. Any type of help the sorcerer could provide, probably wasn’t something Steve could help with. He understood Tony’s sentiment though, sometimes bad weather, as horrible as tonights was, was little compared to life’s misgivings. 

“Here” Bruce said suddenly coming back over from the fireplace. He was holding a cup of what Steve assumed to be tea as he crossed the room to head over to Tony. 

“Bruce, I’m fine” Tony whined. 

“You were shivering like a leaf all of a minute ago. Drink!” Bruce ordered before heading to a nearby chair. Tony pouted as he eyed the drink in his hands suspiciously. From his position by the door, Steve could make out that the liquid was a murky green colour… not like any tea Steve had drank before… Tony made another face before glancing back at Bruce. The other man had fixed him with a stern glare. Tony sighed and with a grimace, downed the drink. 

He made a rather loud noise of disgust and looked back at Bruce. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re trying to poison me.”

Bruce looked satisfied with the outcome. “Well, it’s good you _do_ know better then.” It was clear that the two of them had known each other for a long time. Their personalities were completely different, or at least they appeared to be considering Steve had only known them for a couple of minutes. But they were completely at ease with each other. Steve didn’t have that anymore… he had no one who knew him like that.

“Are you going to just stand in the doorway?” Tony’s voice interrupted his thoughts before he could spiral back into the melancholy that had plagued him when he’d first woken up. “You could sit down you know.”

“I shouldn’t linger up here for too long, the others’ll get suspicious and come looking” Steve apologised. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it” Tony was still making faces at his now empty cup. “Strange will cover for you. If he wasn’t okay with you finding us, you’d still be downstairs.”

Bruce made a noise at that. “Remind me to have a word with him about this later” Bruce had a frown on his face. “Not that I’m unhappy to meet you Captain” he added quickly. Steve thought about that for a second. He still wasn’t sure what kind of message Strange had been trying to give him downstairs but he had definitely gotten the feeling that he had wanted him to follow the noises he had heard. The noises that had led him in here... 

“Bruce is a bit of a shut in” Tony provided with a cheeky grin earning him a glare from Bruce. 

“It’s fine, honestly” Steve told the two, finally moving away from the door and into the room. He decided to sit himself down in another of the armchairs that created a semicircle around a low coffee table, trying not to feel awkward about the whole encounter. 

“How’s the future treating you?” Tony asked as he leaned forward to dispose of his cup. “Not exactly the utopia you were fighting for is it?”

Steve held in the sigh that threatened to escape him. “I guess you could say that” Steve had never believed that they had been somehow superior to other kingdoms, far from it. But he had to admit, he hadn’t expected that the kingdom would divide itself so fiercely. “I guess I just had more faith in us, in the people” he said with a small smile. 

“There are still good people” Bruce assured him. “They just don’t have much of a voice at the moment.” 

Steve gave him a grateful smile. “You’re right. What the Rebellion is doing and how hard people are trying, it’s inspiring. I just wish there wasn’t a need for it.” 

“Don’t we all” Tony replied with a sigh. “But hey, it is what it is. Glad to have you on board Cap.”

“I thought you weren’t part of the Rebellion?” 

“Not in an official capacity but I am behind them and what they’re doing” Tony said with a shrug. “What they stand for is rather important to me.” 

“Well I’m glad I can be of help” if anything, Steve was glad to be useful, to have some kind of purpose. A distraction to take him away from the past and out of his head. 

“I’m sure you will be” Tony said with a smirk. “Your impromptu appearance has already caused a stir. Once people learn you’re working with the Rebellion, it’ll shake things up even more.”

“I don’t want to be just a figurehead” Steve felt a flash of annoyance fly through him. 

“And you won't have to be, but like it or not, everything you do from this point will be followed by unwanted eyes.” Tony said nonchalantly. 

Steve hated that he was right. It had been true in the past, and at least then he could ignore it whilst he was away from home fighting with his squadron. But this close to home he wouldn’t be able to get away from it. 

“It’s something to think about…” Somehow Bruce made the words sound like an apology. “I don’t know if anyone’s brought you up to speed, but the media these days can be a little… full on.” Steve hadn’t encountered much modern press material yet. His only experience with it was how much it upset Peter. After seeing how upset he’d been by the papers, Steve could fully believe they went overboard. 

“I’ve got some idea, but there’s a lot I’ll have to learn about as I go” Steve admitted. Not something he was particularly looking forward to. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle” the smirk that Tony gave him made something squirm in his chest, but he didn’t outwardly react. Steve went to reply but a noise by the door made him turn around. Just as Tony was about to ask what was wrong, the door swung open again after a knock. 

“Captain Rogers?” a voice called out. “Mr Stark?!” Peter appeared in the doorway, eyes glued on Tony. 

“Kid! what are you doing here?” 

“I came here with the Rebellion. Are you okay?” he asked as he moved over to Tony’s chair. 

“Of course I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?” Tony asked with a frown. 

“Dr Strange said- well, he said nothing, actually. But I was worried something happened.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine” Tony reassured the kid with a smile. 

“Wait, you’re Howard's son? The one the paper’s been writing about?” Steve asked. Something finally slotted into place. Not only the name, but something about Tony had been nagging at the back of his head for a while now. Thinking about it, he resembled Howard quite a bit. 

“So you’ve been reading _some_ of the papers then” Tony said with an amused smile. 

“Just the ones about you that this one keeps showing me” Steve gestured at Peter. As the eyes in the room turned towards him, Peter took on a bashful expression. “I thought you lived on the other side of the segregation line?” Steve spared Peter from their stares. 

“I do for now.” Tony said cryptically. “I visit Strange from time to time.”

“By the sounds of it, you’ve been causing quite a stir over there. Saving as many people as possible.” The smile that Tony gave Steve in return to his compliments was overwhelming tinged with sadness. 

“I do what little I can. Even then it’s not enough” Tony brushed it off with a shrug. 

“Mr Stark that’s not-”

“Kid. Don't” Tony requested and despite what looked like every cell in Peter’s body wanting to refuse, he let it drop. Steve, however, was a tad more stubborn. 

“He’s right though” Tony turned a glare towards Steve. “What you’re doing to help people is so important, and it's so much more than ‘enough’ to the people you’ve saved.” Tony seemed to be studying him in that moment and Steve couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. 

“Well it means nothing to those who still get killed” Tony said with a sigh, the frown falling off his face. “I heard there was some problems with the Keener’s last night?” he asked Peter, promptly changing the subject. 

“They were attacked” Peter confirmed. Tony straighten a little at the news. “They’re fine now. May and the other healers patched them all up, and the agents that rescued them.” 

Tony let out another small sigh. “Well at least they’re safe now…”

“You a friend of theirs?” Steve asked softly. It had been a horror show the night before, he could only guess that Peter was downplaying it all to spare Tony’s feelings. 

“Not particularly” Tony replied. “Once I got the Enforcers off their backs, we had them relocated. I heard that something went wrong but I didn’t have any details.” 

“You were monitoring them?” Peter asked. 

“Through Jarvis, yeah” Tony confirmed. 

“Jarvis is still alive?” Steve asked hopefully. He hadn’t known Howard all that well, and he had known his butler even less but seeing some form of familiar face would be nice, even with the age difference. 

“Uh, no…” Tony said softly. Steve didn’t miss the pained look that flitted over Tony’s expression. “J, you can come out of hiding now.” From the corner of the room there came a small burst of orange light. After it faded a majestic bird wreathed in the colours of fire appeared. It hovered in the air for a moment before gliding across the room and perching on the chair behind Tony’s head. 

“Good evening Captain Rogers” a familiar voice wafted onto the air. Steve for all intents and purposes was shocked, eyes glued to bird that had appeared out of thin air. It took a moment for Steve to jog himself back into the room. 

“Jarvis tends to have that effect on people” Tony apologised with a smile. 

“I didn’t mean to startle you Captain” came the voice again and it was definitely coming from the bird. 

“Why does he sound like…”

“Like Edwin Jarvis?” Steve nodded. “That’s a long story” Tony sighed. “Perhaps I’ll tell it to you one day. This Jarvis is essentially a magical creature that aids me in whatever ways he can.”

Steve continued to stare at Jarvis for another moment before remembering his manners. “It’s nice to meet you Jarvis.” The words felt weird on his tongue. Whatever this creature was, it sounded like the man that Steve had briefly known… but he was a bird…

“The pleasure is all mine Captain.” The bird tilted his head as it studied Steve in a curious manner. There seemed to be nothing malicious about the look though, so Steve decided to let it be for now. “Sirs, Mister Parker was sent up here to collect the Captain” Jarvis said after a beat. 

“Oh yeah!” Peter remembered. “Fury was worried you had gotten lost, so he asked Coulson to come and look for you, but Strange was like ‘Peter why don’t you go,’ Fury wanted me to stay but Strange said I would be fine because I’d been here before. I guess he knew you were up here Mr Stark, that was why he wanted me to come up here, but-”

“Kid, slow down, we get the idea” Tony put an end to Peter's rambling with a fond smirk. 

Peter looked visibly embarrassed but he still had a smile on his face. “I guess we should probably head back before someone else comes up here” he said sheepishly, as he gestured behind him with his thumb. 

Steve nodded and stood up. “I guess so” he turned to face both Tony and Bruce. “It was nice meeting the two of you.” Both of the men rose also. 

“It was good to meet you too Captain Rogers” Bruce said as he shook his hand once more. “It’s probably a good idea if you don’t mention the two of us when you head downstairs” he requested. 

“Sure thing” he nodded in return and turned to Tony. 

“I hope to meet you again Mr Stark” he said as he took the other’s hand, trying to ignore the warmth he felt from the other’s palm. 

Tony gave him another smirk that made his pulse quicken. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll see me again fairly soon” he promised. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is another chapter where nothing seemed to happen... I hope you all still liked it?  
> I hope I can get the next one out a little quicker, I've got a pretty good idea of what's gonna happen in it. Also I don't know if you've noticed (sarcasm aside) but I've been avoiding calling Steve "Captain America" mainly because this isn't set in America... Still it feels weird to keep calling him Captain Rogers all the time. Anyway, let me know if you this it's okay or if I should think up some kind of name for him.  
> Also thank you so much for all your comments ^^ they're amazing and you're all wonderful, honestly reading them made my day/s ^^


	5. Chapter 5

"Tony, are you okay? You look you haven't slept in days" Pepper said slowly. 

"Sorry I was out late last night…" 

Strange called them down to the kitchen after it had passed well over midnight. Whoever was downstairs with the Peter and the Captain had tried to wait out the storm. When it finally seemed like it wasn't going to let up, they decided to brave it and see themselves home. At least they didn't have too far to go… 

It was still going strong when Bruce and Tony had ventured into the familiar kitchen. 

It didn't take Bruce long to start interrogating Strange for why he'd let the Captain find them. Peter, he had met before when Tony had first brought the kid over the border. 

"I thought the meeting would be beneficial." Strange said somewhat softly. In some strange way, he actually looked worn out… Tony had never seen him visibly tired before, and even now it was only subtle hints, like the increased breathy quality to his voice and how he was blinking slowly and more frequently. 

"Beneficial for whom?" Bruce asked carefully. "I asked for my presence here to be kept a secret." 

"And it still is" Strange said with a frown. "But I've told you time and time again that your time of hiding would come to an end." 

“But it wasn’t an end that was yours to decide” Bruce argued. Throughout the time Tony had known Bruce, he always seemed calm and composed, something he often lacked. The only time he ever got rattled was by the thought of someone learning where he was. Tony had never got the exact details out of Bruce but the best he could figure, someone was looking for him. 

As the two men began to argue Tony found himself somewhat torn. Usually he was fairly quick to voice his opinion and he had to admit he kinda sided with Bruce on this… however, as much as he hated fortellings and such, Strange’s instincts were usually fairly trustworthy. Strange wouldn’t have allowed the Captain to find them if he was some form of threat to them. Either way, neither man tried to drag Tony into the argument so for now he stayed out of it. 

“It was an important alliance to be made, and that was the best time for it to be done.”

“An alliance? I just met the guy!” Bruce argued. “If it was that important for me to meet him, you could have just asked..!” It went on for a bit with neither backing off but neither really angry either. Bruce probably was thinking the same thing as Tony but it didn't mean Strange shouldn't respect Bruce's boundaries. 

Unsurprisingly it was Bruce who let it drop first, knowing how stubborn Strange could be. Still, when he flopped down into a seat at the table, he looked far from pleased. The air became awkward for a while before Strange broke the silence with a sigh. 

"I have to admit, their arrival took me somewhat by surprise. If I had known ahead of time, I would have spoken to you" he said to Bruce. It was probably as close to an apology either of them would ever be able to get out of Strange, though Tony had to admit that he didn't quite believe the sorcerer. 

"I thought it would also be beneficial for Stark to meet Rogers." Tony raised an eyebrow at Strange. 

"Why?" 

"Well you'll be seeing more of him in the near future, won't you? I thought a… less formal initial meeting might be better." Well nothing screamed informal like catching someone with their trousers down. 

"That's why your here, isn't it? You're joining the Rebellion?" It wasn't a question and Tony just gave him a nod. Things were going to get dicey soon if Rhodey was right, which Tony didn't doubt he was. Both he and Strange had known for quite some time that he was planning to move over the segregation line, now it was just a matter of details. "You know if you had made this decision earlier, I could have spoken to Fury about you tonight."

"It could have only been tonight" Tony sighed. "I needed the rain cover." Strange accepted that with a nod. 

"Did something happen?" Bruce asked from the table. Even he knew Tony wouldn't have made this decision out of the blue. 

"No but it will" Tony huffed and decided to plop himself down into one of the kitchen chairs. 

"I'll talk to Fury again" Strange confirmed. "We'll get some form of transit sorted."

Tony snorted. "I don't need help crossing the border." 

"But you won't be alone" Strange said matter-of-factly. Tony considered this for a moment. It was true, he wasn't just asking for sanctuary for himself, he was also asking for Pepper as he wouldn't leave her to the dogs. 

"Fine, if the Rebellion wants to send some form of escort they can." Tony huffed, though he wasn't sure how effective they'd be. "I also want to stay here, not at wherever their headquarters is." Strange chuckled as if he expected the demand from Tony. 

"Well" he started slowly. "I've put you up this long, I'm sure I stand to do so a little while longer." 

Tony gave him a smirk back, as much as he could claim he was just being a diva, he would prefer to be somewhere familiar and he knew Pepper would be safe here. 

"Do you know when you're leaving..?" 

Tony had nothing set in stone. If anything he wanted to put if off for as long as possible and he told Strange as much. Tony didn't care that it would make it difficult for the Rebellion to send an escort but for now he couldn't give Strange any kind of solid timeline. 

He went downstairs and grabbed a couple of bits from the basement before he left. Bruce had kicked up a fuss about him going back out into the storm but Tony told him that there wasn't another way for him to get back unseen. Bruce grumbled a bit before giving Tony another potion to drink once he got out of the storm. "Look after yourself Tony" Bruce's hands fidgeted restlessly with each other while he watched Tony prepare to step out into the rain once more. 

"You know I'll be fine" Tony gave him a cocky smile, if anything to downplay the seriousness of everything. Tony had always got the impression that Bruce was the type of person that _needed_ people, needed to be social. Not in the same way Tony had a need to flaunt his presence upon others. No, Bruce just needed to talk to people, be around others but his self dictated isolation prevented him from that. It went a ways to explaining why he clung to Tony so much whenever he went to leave. 

"I wish I could say that I did Tony" Bruce apologised with a small smile. "Your talent for attracting trouble is unparalleled." 

"I'm actually almost insulted" Tony said in mock hurt. "I can't help it if my life just happens to be filled with excitement" he joked. Bruce chuckled back softly.

"If that's what you want to call it… Just be careful" Bruce stressed again. 

"I will" Tony promised. It wasn't like he went looking for danger or anything. He just happened to be a position that made him more… susceptible to the 'dreaded trouble'... 

"I'll be back before you know it" Tony promised and after assuring Bruce _again_ that he would drink his concoction once he was home, he left…

* * *

"You said you wanted to talk to me?" Pepper's voice dragged him back to the present and Tony nodded in confirmation. 

"Yes I did… I need you to stay inside the Manor for the foreseeable future."

Peppers eyes managed to turn both cold and curious at the same time. "What?" Tony ignored the sharp displeasure in her voice for the time being. 

"I spoke to Strange last night. I've told you before that he's one of the Rebellion leaders…" Pepper nodded in conformation, though her eyes were still hard. Tony tapped his fingers on the table top as he figured the best way to word what he was going to say." Rhodey has it on good authority that the Enforcers are losing patience with me." Peppers spine became rigid, despite how subtle the change was Tony noticed it straight away. "I've arranged passage and accommodation with Strange and the Rebellion across the border." 

The worry was clear on Peppers face, though she still held herself upright and stoic. "You're leaving" it was both a statement and an accusation. 

"Yes" Tony confirmed. "And you're coming with me" Tony tried not to smile at the gasp that come from the woman across from him, but he was fairly certain that he failed. "Did you really think I would have left you here?" he had meant it to be a rhetorical question but Pepper answered him anyway. 

"Well you are rather impulsive" she said with an amused smile. 

"I resent that" Tony deadpanned but broken into a smile only seconds later. "Well regardless I'm not going to." It went without saying that if and when Tony vanished, Pepper would be the first line of inquiry not only for the Enforcers but also Obie and anyone else looking to get information about him. 

Pepper nodded again. Both of them knew that despite her capabilities, Tony would never have left her to suffer that. "Besides, I'd give myself about a week without you running my life before everything collapses around me" he joked. 

"A week's a bit generous I reckon" Pepper returned with her own smirk. Tony shook his head in fake disbelief. 

"Such insubordination Miss Potts, whatever shall I do with you." 

"Well you could always dismiss me, but I have it on good authority that you can't cope without me" she replied with a raised eyebrow. 

"We can't have that now, can we" Tony chuckled back. "Perhaps it's best you just stick around." 

"Yeah, perhaps" Pepper replied with her own chuckle. "When are we leaving" she asked, becoming serious once more. 

"I don't know yet. There are a few things I want to do and prepare before leaving, but we have to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat in case something happens." Determination set onto her face as Pepper nodded once more. "Pack a bag and have it ready to go as soon as possible. All appointments, meetings or otherwise are to take place at the Manor. If anyone wants to see me, they have to come here or they can get lost." Tony knew Pepper would be able to take care of anyone who might make a fuss at that. "I don't want either of us to be caught without the other, so I'm also not leaving to Manor for now. Keep the communication devices on you at all times, and keep up appearances as always" he added with a smile which Pepper returned. 

"As always" she replied with a scoff. 

"I expect we'll be gone before the weeks out, but I want to stretch that out as long as I can." 

"Understood. Let me know if you need anything from me" there was gentleness to her voice, as if she knew how hard it would be for Tony to leave his childhood home, something which at this point, Tony had refused to acknowledge. 

"I will" he told her. "Probably best to avoid Obie for the moment also" he added as an afterthought. "I don't trust him" he admitted out loud for the first time. "I don't know what he's willing to do to get his way, but I want you to be wary of him" Tony would like to think that Obie wouldn't use Pepper to get to him in some way but he wasn't willing to risk her safety, and it wasn't like he hid the fact that he disliked her. 

"I already am" Pepper gave him a pointed look "but I get your point. I already have his schedule, I'll be careful" she promised. 

Tony nodded his satisfaction and tried to ignore the nerves that flickered through his body. Logically he knew that everything was going to be fine. As long as they were careful, nothing would happen… 

Right? 

* * *

Tony was busy over the next few days. He made plans with Louise to pass information to him via one of his enchanted pens. He forewarned Rhodey that he would soon be gone, he packed and tinkered when time allowed and the rest of his time, he spent with Jarvis, tracking and identifying any and all magical signatures they could find. He documented them in a magical file; names, addresses, any information he grasp from the sweeps Jarvis made of the local vicinity. This was the main reason he was reluctant to leave. He knew that once he did, these would be the people to suffer from it. He wouldn't be around to step in if they were found by the Enforcers. The best he could do now was take note of them and help them through the Rebellion if and when the time came. He could do nothing to help those powerful enough to hide their own signatures from Jarvis, but for now this was the best he could do. 

Pepper barely left his side, helping him out when she could but otherwise keeping to herself. Tony's behaviour had already been causing a stir once he had started cooping himself up in his study, but now with his "assistant" also hiding away in there and only one member of staff being permitted entry… it looked a little suspicious. Tony didn't care though. 

On the fourth day the Enforcers raided another home and it broke Tony to stay put and not go to them. Perhaps he could have taken Pepper with him but the people watching the Manor hadn't budged and Jarvis had reported their multiple attempts to get into the Manor. Tony couldn't leave now and give them an opportunity to enter the building. Instead he sat with Pepper as he looked over the names of the now deceased or missing and tried his best to keep it together as she hugged him gently and rubbed soothing circles onto his back. 

The only time he was out of his study was when he was sleeping, something he was doing less and less of. That was pretty normal for him though. At night he crept through Manor, making sure the wards were firmly in place and fortifying any he thought could do with strengthening. He wanted to be completely sure that if the Enforcers checked the Manor, they would find absolutely nothing. He hid everything pertaining to himself or his father. Going as far as to hide Howard's personal effects, anything that the Enforcers could possibly use against someone in the building. 

He felt bad for leaving the staff without better protection. As long as they were in the building they should be relatively safe, but there was little he could do once he was gone. 

Nearly a week passed before he got any proper sleep. He could tell that Pepper was getting anxious the longer they were there and the longer they stuck to the strange new routine the more suspicious Obie became. Tony was just waiting for the right time to act he supposed. As soon as people knew he was missing, it would probably be all over the news… Regardless, the time was coming and it would be soon. 

Tony couldn't remember exactly what he'd been dreaming about. It was of little consequence in any case. He was just aware of someone calling out to him. A voice that was comforting and familiar but was for some reason, strained. 

_"Sir! SIR!"_

Tony jolted awake. He didn't think he had ever heard Jarvis yell before. "J- wh..?" Tony pulled himself into a sitting position and rubbed at his eyes. 

_"I have detected a foreign magical signature on the premises. It entered the Manor approximately fifty three seconds ago. It appears to be heading for the upper floors."_

Tony felt a cold chill go through his body. _"An intruder… Where is it now?"_ Tony dragged himself out of bed as quietly as he could. The element of surprise could be vital in this. 

_"On the first floor, moving quickly"_ Tony quickly threw on his discarded clothing. 

_"Wake Pepper but tell her not to leave her room"_ how had this intruder even gotten in here, and what for? Tony's heartbeat was in his ears, he threw up an illusion, making it look like he was asleep in the bed while he slipped to a place behind the door where he'd be hidden if the door were to open. 

_"The intruder has made it to the second floor, they are heading for your bedroom. I estimate thirty seconds before arrival…"_

Tony strained to listen. He couldn't hear any footsteps of the approaching intruder. It was clear whoever they were, they were heading straight for him and Tony didn't like what that implied. 

With a slight ripple to the surrounding air, Jarvis became invisible and it was only then that Tony heard any movement on the landing outside. 

Heavy, controlled footsteps, the slightest shuffling of clothing… It sounded muffled, muted, like something was hiding the noises. He threw an invisibility spell onto himself as well, just in case and waited. 

The steps came to a halt outside of the door and Tony held his breath as he waited. He watched as the door knob turned slowly, soundlessly, and gently the door swung open. 

Tony made no noise as he pressed himself against the wall so the door wouldn't hit him as it opened. His view was obscured but he could see light cast onto the opposite wall from the hallway and the shadow of a person outlined upon it. 

The figure stood stock still, waiting, watching and Tony did the same, doing everything in his power to keep calm and hide his breathing. 

Tony watched as the shadow moved its head back and forth almost as if it was scanning the room before the figure took a step into the room and towards the bed. 

The closer the figure got to the bed the better the view Tony got of it. It was a man. Not one Tony recognised. Tall, built, brunette, hair falling to his shoulders. Tony couldn't see his face from here but he could see that the majority of his face was covered by some form of black cloth. 

The man stood over Tony's bed, staring at the illusion Tony had projected for a moment. He was still in an almost unnatural way like every part of him was frozen, not stiff or rigid but as if he was paused in motion. When he moved again, he pulled out a knife which glowed dimly in the night. Tony wouldn't be able to tell how the blade was enchanted without giving himself away, but focusing on that was better than focusing on the lump of fear that clogged his throat at the sight of it. 

The figure raised the knife and in a move almost too quick for Tony's eyes to follow, he brought it down, right into the fake Tony's throat. 

The blade soared straight through the apparition and into the mattress below. The man stilled again for a moment before letting out a growl of annoyance swiping at the illusion again in frustration. 

Tony could feel his heartbeat pulse quickly throughout his body, making it the only sound he could hear in the darkness as he watched the figure straighten up in an eerily fluid movement. Slowly the figure turned around, facing the open door, once again stock still.

Tony could see his face better now, though only his hard eyes were visible and even then they were obscured by the dark and and his hair which flopped down across his face. 

The, what Tony could now deduce as an assassin, closed his eyes and when they opened again, they burned with a pale blue, unnatural light which shone eerily in the darkness. He scanned the room once more and Tony felt his throat close up as those horrible pale eyes landed on him. 

Neither Tony or the assassin moved for a moment, Tony hoping and praying that his invisibility spell was still hiding him. The moment held a few seconds longer but was broken when the intruder moved. His movements were so quick that Tony only had the time to throw up a shield as a reflex. When he blinked again, he saw the knife, stuck partially through the magical force field, inches from his face. 

A noise was the only warning he got before the figure lunged towards him. Tony dropped the illusion and the invisibility spell and sent a burst of energy from his hand at the intruder. It knocked him back for only a moment but it was enough time to get out from behind the door. 

The figure came at him again, another knife in his hand. He swiped at Tony who managed to jump back and out of the way again. 

Tony sent another energy blast at him but this time he managed to dodge it, ramming Tony into the wardrobe behind him. Tony let out a small noise as pain flew up his back at the impact and immediately started struggling. 

There was a brush of cold against the skin of his neck as a hand closed around his throat. Looking down in the dim light he could see the fingers were made of metal, the pale light of the intruders eyes, glinting off the digits. The fingers began to squeeze but Tony use a free hand to magically hurl a heavy ornament off the fireplace at the man's head. 

Simultaneously Jarvis reappeared and rained concentrated beams of magic at the back of the assassin attacking his master. 

The two attacks were enough to get the man off Tony who dropped to the floor and moved back toward the bed. 

While he was still disorientated Tony threw more magic at him, bringing him to the floor. 

All that seemed to do however, was piss the assassin off. He dragged himself up, and raised his metal hand. Tony only had a second to blink before he was being thrown across the room in a whirlwind of magic and pain. He slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the floor behind the bed, his skin still crackling with whatever strange purple lightning the man had thrown at him. Tony groaned and tried to move but his body was racked with electric pain which zinged across his skin. 

He could hear his attackers footsteps growing closer again and just as he came into view, Jarvis soared at his head, claws alight and red hot as they raked across his scalp and face. The man yelled and made to reach for the bird. Jarvis consistently swivelled out of reach and rained more magical rays down on him. 

Tony used the distraction to brush of the magic and dragged himself into a standing position, or at best a hunched over one. 

The man raised his metal arm as a shield against Jarvis' onslaught and made towards Tony once more. He didn't get far though as there came high pitched whistling noise from the doorway and a new blade buried itself into the assassins shoulder. He grunted with pain and swung round to see another figure in the doorway. Tony looked at the newcomer as well instantly recognising her as his newest employee; Natalia. She was dressed head to toe in black, skin tight leather, complete with high boots and a black corset. 

She wasted no time and threw another blade at the man. It found purchase in his flesh and blood arm. He growled in anger and made for Natalia. 

As he came at her she shifted her body weight, using the momentum he came at her with to hook her legs onto his body, round his neck and bring him back down to the ground in a loud bang. 

The pulses of electric pain had disappeared entirely from Tony's body and he brought himself back around the bed. 

Their attacker rolled himself to his feet, kicking Natalia's out from under her as he went and reaching for her ankle. In a single handed grip he threw he by her foot at the doorway. She went flying through the air and crashed into the banister outside managing by some miracle to right herself before she tumbled over the landing. 

The assassin rounded on Tony again, striking out at him. Tony ducked just in time to miss the punch aimed at him and hit him with two blasts of magic, aimed at the assailants stomach. 

Winded, the intruder, fell back to the floor, growling once again. Natalia entered the room again, her hands glowing. The air began to fill with crackles as she sent arcs of electricity at the fallen assassin. Tony and Jarvis continued to hit him with attacks as well. How had this guy not gone down yet? 

The man on the floor twitched and roared in pain and anger before slamming both of his fists onto the ground, sending a shockwave of energy through the room. Both Tony and Natalia were sent into the air and into the walls once more. Natalia went flying into a mirror, shards of glass exploding around her. Tony was flung into a chest of draws, his head bouncing painfully off of the wood. 

Between them intruder stood once more and with a gesture both Tony and Natalia were hit with more of purple lightning that emitted from the assailants metal hand. 

Tony could faintly make out Natalia's voice over his own yells of pain, blinking as he fought against the white hot tendrils of pain as they wormed their way over his body. 

Just as it was about to become too much, the room was flooded with warm, pale orange light so bright it hurt his eyes. 

Through the lingering pain Tony raised a hand against the light, barely making out the outline of a bird wreathed in sizzling, glittering flames as it hung in the air, filling every crevasse with the blinding light. 

Tony blinked rapidly, finding their attacker once again. He stood transfixed, staring wide eyed at the bird, the pale blue glow of his eyes alight along with the bird's. He was stock still, somehow taking in the light without blinking, until eventually he began to sway. 

The light faded and Jarvis became visible once again, letting out a screech as he flew about the room. 

The assassin dropped to his knees, hands clutching his head as he screamed out into the room. One long agonising sound that left Tony's ears ringing. 

His eyes darted to Natalia as she made to get up, another knife in her hand. The movement seemed to jog the assailant back to his senses as his head whipped round to her. They locked eyes for a few seconds and when the moment broke, the man made a dash for the still open door, vaulting over the banister in the hallway and disappearing into the night. 

* * *

Tony groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Various points on his body pulsed with pain but for now nothing seemed to be permanently damaged. 

The tinkling sound of glass caught his attention, he looked back over to Natalia who was also getting to her feet. There was a cut on her cheek, no doubt from the glass but otherwise she looked okay. 

"J, can you get the lights" he said as he tentatively rubbed the back on his head. There was going to be quite the bump there later and probably a myriad of bruises along his back. 

"Of course Sir" the room became aglow as the candles were lit. "The assailants magical signature has left the premises Sir" Jarvis said from atop a chest of drawers. 

"Can you track him?" 

"Yes Sir. I have logged his signature though I have no identity for the individual." 

"That was the Winter Soldier" Natalia said as she crossed over the room. She was rubbing a spot on her side. 

Tony fixed her with a stare. "A friend of yours Miss Rushman?" he asked with a raised brow. 

"Not as such" she replied with her own smirk. 

There came a rush of footstep from the hallway, immediately both Natalia and Tony went of the defensive. 

"Tony?" Pepper called out as she came into view. Both Tony and Natalia relaxed their stances and Tony was grateful for it. Now that the adrenaline had bled out of him, he felt rather exhausted. "Oh my God. What happened in here. Jarvis said not to leave my room until just now. And Natlia why are you dressed like that?" 

Tony groaned as he moved over to the door. "I need a drink…"

* * *

"So Miss Rushman. Are you planning on explaining your sudden, revamped appearance?" 

Pepper had been a mix of terrified, disgusted and furious when Tony told her he'd just nearly been assassinated. They made their way down to the kitchen, the three sticking close together despite Jarvis' confirmation that the assassin had gone. Pepper had demanded an account of what happened and was now carefully cleaning the cut on Natalia's cheek. 

"My name is Natasha Romanov, I was sent here by the Rebellion to keep an eyes on things here." Pepper's hand stilled for a moment and Tony made a small noise of confirmation at the admission. 

"And what was it you were keeping an eye out for exactly?" 

"You've been causing quite the uproar" she said with a smirk on her lips. "The rebellion knew you were somehow transporting the families you saved over the segregation line. We wanted to confirm your intentions and possibly recruit you into the Rebellion" Tony let out a sigh.

"Did you manage to get the information you wanted..?" 

Natasha chuckled. "You kept me out quite effectively" she smirked. "I have to say both you and Miss Potts are quite the secret keepers." 

"Well you tend to become paranoid when there's a spy under your roof" he gave Natasha a pointed look and she gave him a smirk back. 

"I am curious as to what gave me away… Was it your bird?" 

"The birds name is Jarvis" Tony said, perhaps a little more firmly than he intended. "And no, Jarvis gave me no indication of your intentions, that was entirely you." Strangely that just seemed to amuse Natasha more. 

"Do tell" she smirked. 

"Maybe later" Tony took a sip of the spirit from the glass tumbler in front of him, letting the alcohol warm his chest. "I want you to tell me about this Winter Soldier" he said with a frown. 

Pepper finished up her task and moved back from Natasha, moving to the stove when a pot of water was boiling. 

"There's not much to tell" Natasha started with a sigh. "Most consider him a myth. An assassin of ridiculous strength an power. Virtually unkillable with pale eyes an a metal arm…" she took a breath to steady herself. "There have been sightings of him dating back to the war when he was said to work for Hydra…" 

"There's no way he's that old…" Tony injected. The man in his room had been is late twenties at best. 

"Some reckon it's a mantle passed from one assassin to another, though the more fanciful tale is that he's just one man."

Silence hung on the air for a moment with just the sounds of the boiling kettle filling the room. "Who is he working for now?" Tony asked eventually. 

"He's probably a hired hand. Working for whoever pays him." Tony bit his lip. There wasn't a way for sure to tell who had sent the assassin after him but it was clear that they had to make tracks and soon. 

"There are few who face the Soldier and live to tell the tale. If it weren't for your b- Jarvis, I imagine we would have both been killed…" as cocky as Tony tended to be he couldn't help but agree. Nothing they had collectively done had been effective right up until the end. 

"Jarvis, what _did_ you do there buddy?" 

" _I'm afraid I'm not entirely certain Sir. It was instinctual magic which I believe has ties to my current state of being."_

Natasha frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"That it's some form of ancient magic neither of us could probably explain. You have any idea what you did?" Tony asked as he trailed his fingers over the rim of his glass. 

_"The magic was directed at his mind Sir. I believe it was trying to unweave a spell of some sort."_

Tony made a noise "was it successful?" 

_"To an extent I believe so but I cannot say for certain."_

Tony rubbed his temple as he leaned over the table top. Hopefully that meant that this 'Winter Solider' was out of their hair for a bit. They still had no idea who sent him though. 

"It's probably best if you leave, tonight. If someone's tried to have you killed once, they'll do so again" Natasha's voice was firm, steady. Tony could tell she had been doing this kind of thing for a while. 

"While I agree with you, we cannot leave tonight." 

"Tony. We can't stay here it our lives are at risk" Pepper complained, hands now wrapped around a warm cup of something. 

"If we leave now, whoever wanted me dead will assume that I am so" Tony reasoned. "I'm not saying we stay here for long, only until tomorrow night. Long enough for the Enforcers and my Uncle to see that their attempt failed."

"If you disappear anyway I'm not sure that'll matter" Natasha warned. 

"It will. If I'm confirmed dead. Obie will have free run of the Stark estate, and he'll give full backing to the military. If it's uncertain if I'm alive it'll make things a lot more difficult for him legally…"

Natasha sighed as she thought it over before nodding." Okay…" she said softly, looking back and forth between Tony and Pepper." We leave tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow night" Tony confirmed, looking over to Pepper who clutched her drink but gave a firm confirmation also. 

* * *

"General Ross, what an unexpected pleasure" Tony deadpaned as the General slid into the seat next to him at the bar. 

"Stark" the General grumbled. "I thought you were hold up in that mansion of yours." 

"Well it's good to get out once in a while…" Tony said flatly. 

He had chosen this location specifically because he knew that the members of the Enforcer unit frequented it. It wasn't a place he frequented often, nor was it a place that he wanted to be seen in but it suited his current needs. 

He definitely hadn't been expecting to run into Ross here. He turned his body to face the General, narrowing his eyes as he did so. "Was there something you wanted?" 

"Come now Stark. We can at least pretend to be civil surely, share each other's company and a drink" his words lacked any kind of warmth as his eyes studied Tony from top to bottom. 

"I'd rather not choke on the poison" Tony muttered and downed the last of his drink. 

Ross glared at Tony, his being seeming to vibrate with anger. 

"You're walking a thin line here Stark" the General warned.

"So I keep being told" Tony said as he pushed away from the bar. Just as he was stepping down from the raised barstool a hand clamped around his bicep, holding him in place. It took everything in Tony's power not to react, not to blast the son of a bitch across the room. 

"Just what sort of game do you think you're playing here" Ross growled close to his ear. "Do you think being a rich brat gives you some form of immunity. That you're beyond reprimand?" the hand on his arm squeezed tighter but Tony would die before he gave Ross any form of reaction to it. 

"As I see it. You still have nothing to _reprimand_ me for…" Tony levelled back at him. "It's not my fault that when you're presented with basic logic your backwards thinking brain stutters to a complete halt. 

Ross looked like he was about to hit him but they both knew that he wouldn't, not in public like this. Not when every set of eyes in the tavern had turned their way. 

"You mark my words" Ross hissed back. "You'll get yours soon enough." 

"A threat? How low brow" Tony drawled back. "One would think you wanted to get rid of me" he stuck Ross with a piercing stare. Ross held it for a moment eyes narrowing as the two men read each other. "Just keep your distance Stark" Ross warned, releasing Tony's arm with a shove so forceful, it made Tony stumble back a couple of steps. 

Tony watched as Ross stomped his way over to a booth at the back of the tavern suppressing the rage that sizzled in his throat. He left the tavern with Jarvis on his shoulder and a slue of eyes on his back. 

He'd learned nothing from that exchange with Ross. He had given nothing away. Still, that could just mean that Ross had nothing to do with the attempt on Tony's life… It didn't rule out the Enforcers involvement. Perhaps running into Ross publicly like that was fortuitous despite how much the man made his skin crawl. 

He walked quickly down the streets, knowing, again, that he was being followed again. At least this time he had a couple of interesting tails. 

Considering the attack the night before, Natasha had been trailing his every movement since he had left the house. Under other circumstances Tony would have been beyond pissed off by the thought of someone following him, but given recent events, it made him feel a little less isolated. 

He couldn't say for certain that he trusted Natasha yet, but she seemed to be vying for Tony's safety, willing to put her life on the line for his and that meant a lot. 

His other tail however… 

Jarvis had been constantly sweeping the surrounding area for days. By this point he had every uncloaked magical signature in the city committed to memory. It made it easy for Jarvis to identify one from the other. Strange, unusual or _threatening_ signatures stood out like a sore thumb to Jarvis now. 

That coupled with the clash the night before and Jarvis being on high alert, allowed him to hone in on the Winter Solider fairly quickly. 

Seemingly dissatisfied with his failure the night before, the assassin was keeping his distance but had stuck to Tony like glue once he'd left the Manor. Natasha was also on high alert, Jarvis giving her constant updates to the Soldier's whereabouts. 

Despite never catching a glimpse of him, Tony felt like he could feel the Winter Soldier watching him. He forced down any panic that ran through him at the thought of the killer stalking his every move. At least for now he was content keeping his distance… for now… 

There were still the ever present eyes that were watching the house, either having not noticed the attack the night before or not swayed by it and while Tony was fine with being the centre of attention, having so many eyes in him made him more than a little uncomfortable. 

When he finally stepped in the Manor, he shed the weighted eyes, gladly, finally letting some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders. 

He couldn't relax for long though as footsteps clicked down the hallway towards him. 

"Tony" Obie's voice had a ring of curiosity to it as it boomed down the corridor towards him. A moment later Obie came into view, that ever present smile on his face. "I'm surprised to see you." 

"Surprised?" Tony echoed as innocently as he could. 

"I haven't seen you in nearly two weeks. I was starting to think you were hiding away from the world." His uncle chuckled, slapping a hand onto Tony's shoulder. Again Tony had the urge to rid himself of the unwanted physical contact somewhat violently. 

"I assure you, I'm still alive and kicking" Tony said tightly, shrugging Obie's hand off his shoulder. He didn't bother to check Obie's reaction to the gesture, it was the last day he would have to put up with the man, at least for a while and he didn't have the will to pretend to be chummy with him anymore. Tony moved past his uncle, heading for the stairs. There were still a couple of things he wanted to get sorted for the departure and he wanted to do it away from prying faux family members.

"Come now boy, what kind of attitude is that. I wanted to talk to you as it happens" Tony clenched his jaw, biting back anything he actually wanted to say and turned slowly to look at his uncle. 

"I have some stuff I wanted to get done-" 

"It won't take a moment." Obie promised grandly. "I wanted to ask if you had any plans for your birthday. It's a big one after all, best to get invitations and plans made sooner rather than later hm?" 

There was no earthly way Tony couldn't have prevented the open suspicion that bled into his expression. His birthday? Really? What was Obie playing at? 

"I think you're jumping ahead there a bit…" he said cautiously. "My birthday isn't for another three months…" where on earth had this come from? Obie never had a hand in things like that. Not to mention he had been rather vocal about his displeasure at Tony succeeding him and taking over the business. Why would he be interested in celebrating that date? Or planning the countdown to it..?

"I want this to be special for you" Obie said with a grin. "You've been so out of sorts lately. You need something to take any stress off your mind." A distraction then? Something for Tony to focus on other than the current political climate? Even then it seemed a bit off, Obie knew without a doubt that that wouldn't hold his attention for three months. A small part of Tony wanted to believe his uncles words, regardless of how unlikely it was. He missed the days when he could look up blindly to Obie, safe in the knowledge that he was being looked after… even if that knowledge was false. Now more than ever, Tony could feel his district lack of security, and his uncle just added to that. 

"My mind is fine" Tony replied plainly. "I haven't planned anything, and I don't want to, perhaps closer to the time but not now…." he compromised, knowing that otherwise, Obie would argue the point. 

"Well if you're sure" Obie said with a shrug. "You know what they say about all work and no play."

"That it separates those weak of mind and those of intellect? " Tony threw back, sarcasm and annoyance laced into his voice. The words seemed to ruffle Obie the wrong way, momentarily he looked lost for words. The air shifted then, as if the falsehoods they'd been hiding behind during every encounter with each other as of late, fell to the ground around them. For the first time the two men glared openly at each other. 

"You've got a smart mouth boy" Obie's tone took on a much sterner, crueler note. "Sooner or later someone's going to knock that attitude out of you." 

Tony looked thoroughly unimpressed as he folded his arms across his chest. "That going to be you is it? Gimme a break." Tony huffed, turning to leave again. 

"You think you'll get far acting like that? Do you?" Obie called after him. Tony rolled his eyes and swivelled, somewhat languidly, on his heel. 

"As opposed to what?" he asked with a mock shrug, clapping his hands together. "Acting like you? A man so inept, he's had to ride on other people's successes to get by, had to spend years buttering up a rich kid in the hopes that by the time he's of any use to you, you can continue to piggyback your way through life through him as well? All the while preaching superiority over everyone who dares threaten your delicate constitution? Call me crazy, but I think I'll pass." Tony gave his uncle a clearly fake smile of regret and turned back around, walking towards the stairs. This time when Stane called after him, Tony kept walking. 

"You'll get your comeuppance. You mark my words. You think you're king of the castle, casting your superior eye onto the world? It won't last, not your solitude, not your sanctuary!" 

"Yeah I know" Tony called back in the most dismissive tone he could muster as he finally turned the corner at the top of the stairs. "And God, it cannot come sooner" Tony muttered to himself. 

* * *

_"He still following J?"_ Tony asked as he, Pepper and Natasha moved through the night. 

" _Indeed Sir. I put him approximately 500 meters south west of our current position."_

_"Do you think he's got a lock on us?"_

_"I cannot say for sure but he has stayed true to his course for the past twenty minutes. I would calculate that if he does not have our exact location, he has made a rather accurate estimation of our route and has a fair approximation of our general position."_

Tony cursed mentally. The Winter Soldier was still following them but hadn't approached them yet. They didn't know why he was holding back. Now, while they were travelling and rather defenceless, would no doubt be the best time to strike at them. It definitely added another layer of tension to the journey. Not only did they have to avoid the border patrols, they also had to remember the assassin following them. 

Tony had disguised himself as per usual and he had given Pepper his prototype invisibility cloak. It only worked periodically for the time being as Tony hadn't had the time to perfect it, but he felt better knowing she had some form of camouflage. Natasha seemed to bleed effortlessly into the night, though Tony didn't know if it was just pure skill or if there was magic involved.

Either way, they were able to move quickly and quietly. Keeping to the tree cover and the farmlands, away from the prying eyes of the streets. 

They ran into no one as they travelled, stopping when necessary to let the odd individual pass by but otherwise it was fairly consistent going. 

They chose to cross the border amongst the trees, guessing it would be less heavily guarded. They were right but they were met with the orange torch light of a patrol unit at their crossing point. 

They hid themselves behind some rocks and whispered to each other. 

"We could always toe the line? Follow it further into the trees and cross somewhere further along?" Natasha whispered. 

"Maybe, but then we risk running into another patrol" they already knew that units patrolled the trees in case there was someone attempting to use it for cover to cross the border, like they were. "If we get spotted, we'll have quite the chase on our hands, not to mention our tag along from the city…" Tony didn't much like the idea of the Winter Soldier cornering them deeper into the woods. 

"So we take these guys out?"

"J, how many are we looking at?" Tony whispered. 

Jarvis replied telepathically to them. 

_"I sense five individuals along with another six roughly half a mile to the north."_ Could the two of them handle five soldiers? He didn't want to put Pepper into the line of fire, not if he could help it. The woman could talk her way through anything but Tony knew she hated physically fighting. 

"Fight or sneak?" Tony pondered aloud. "If anything I don't want anyone to know someone crossed the border tonight in case someone puts it together with my disappearance…" 

"Surely with the Soldier following us, someone will know, he has to be reporting back to someone?" Pepper whispered back.

"You make a fair point…" Tony mused. "So we take these guys out, quietly?" 

"They'll have detectors. If we use any kind of magic we'll lose the advantage of surprise" Natasha peered over the rocks, surveying the area. She nodded to herself when she seemingly approved of what she had seen. 

"I'll take care of them" she said decisively. 

Both Pepper and Tony went to protest simultaneously making Natasha wave a hand at them. "Trust me" Natasha dismissed their worries. "I'll have these goons down before they know what's happening. Besides" she said with a smile. "I need someone to take out my frustration on following that fight with the Winter Soldier." She looked positively gleeful at the prospect. Tony wasn't sure he was okay with the look. 

"Natasha, I don't know…" Pepper said softly. 

"I'll be fine" she promised. "And this way Stark can keep his _oh so pretty_ face hidden" she said with a raised brow and a smirk."

"You know, I never liked you Romanov" Tony whispered back in fake admonishment. He darted his eyes over to the men he could make out a ways off. "Go have your fun" he ordered. If Natasha was confident that she could take the men down, who was he to stop her? And secretly he wanted to see if she really could take them all down like she said. 

Natasha gave him a playful smile and stood up, muscles flexing like a cat ready to pounce and play. "Don't wait up" she flashed them a grin and sauntered over to the patrol unit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been great at writing any kind of action and/or fighting so feel free to let me know how I did. Thanks again for all your support ^^ I'm having fun writing this and I hope you're all still enjoying it too ^^


	6. Chapter 6

Steve didn't know which was worse, night or day… The compound was busy enough but it was far from lively and despite Fury telling him to be at the ready at a moments notice, nothing seemed to happen. 

Since the Keeners, no other families had made it across the border and that knowledge itself seemed to have people on edge. Steve himself was also restless but it was for different reasons. 

He caught himself staring off into space at times when he was alone. He would see flashes of long dead faces, burst of flames and explosions behind his closed eyelids. Every moment he spent staring into space made his heart heavier and heavier until he couldn't breathe lest he choke on the very air itself. 

Noise became something of a fallacy. Silences were filled with the high pitched ringing that signalled an incoming explosion, or the screams of the wounded, or the rhythmic pounding of soldiers feet… He would become lost in a cyclone of images and sound that stabbed at him over and over again until he was all but shivering with the intensity of it all. 

Still all of that seemed easier to manage compared to night. 

Slipping off into sleep had become more painful than staying awake. His dreams were filled with visions of his childhood home, of his mother, his unit, his friends, his lover… He was surrounded by images that made sense, made him feel safe, at home. Every face he saw was happy to see him, welcoming and smiling. It made waking up that much more painful. He never would have asked for it before, but Steve longed for nightmares. The horrors that his mind conjured up felt more grounded, more true, more _real,_ while his dreams just seemed to taunt him with things he would never get back. 

Despite the fighting and destruction of his past, he’d never felt this out of sorts before, especially after he joined the war effort. Back then he just _knew_ where he stood. Now, more than just feeling out of place because he was ‘out of time’, he felt lost within himself. 

He hadn’t expected to survive the fight with the Hydra, and deep down, he hadn’t known if he had wanted to. It wasn’t something he had ever admitted to anyone, not that he could have given the timeline of events, but Steve couldn’t deny the solid wave of resignation that had swept through him when he had stepped into that clearing. It was such a contradiction to the hero the government had so proudly advertised him as, and Steve knew he should feel guilty but he hadn’t felt any shame about it then, and he didn’t now. 

He had never really wanted to leave that clearing and he had taken down the Hydra, collapsing into darkness, safe in the knowledge that the monster was gone and that he wouldn’t have to face a world where the person who mattered most to him no longer existed. But then he had woken up in the future and not only was _he_ still irrecoverably gone, everything else was too… He could almost believe this was some kind of punishment for wanting to die, for giving up… it was never something he would tell someone else to do, so was this some kind of cosmic justice? 

He got through most of his days with an ever present, if somewhat fake smile. He couldn’t tell if anyone was able to see through it and if they had, no one had mentioned it. Every new person that he met took an anticipated double take, whether subtle or overt, when they clocked who he was and though he didn’t show it, it was just as annoying as it had ever been though now it seemed worse somehow. 

Peter was something of a saving grace. His hyperactive jovial chatter was enough to distract Steve, while still being pleasant. The kid never let on if he was upset or going through a rough patch, at least not to Steve but Steve felt a little conflicted about leaning so heavily on a boy who was just cresting sixteen. He was a decent enough distraction though. 

The rest of his time, he tried to fill with reading and research on what he had missed or wandering around the compound and its surrounding areas. 

On one of his wanderings he came across some workers who were in the process of building new homes for the families who were packed into the compound, and despite having no construction experience, he offered to lend a hand. They didn’t need all that much help, the perks of magic being what they were, but it felt good to offer his services where he could. The manual labour helped clear his mind some and the comradery of the workers settled something lost in him. 

Steve took to carrying his shield around with him everywhere. Nobody questioned it as it was seemingly a tactical decision but what people weren’t aware of was the comfort Steve drew from it. Since he had been given the shield in the past, he had always had some kind of… resonance with it. It wasn’t sentient, at least not that Steve knew, but it had a presence. Sure it could just be the magic embedded within it that Steve could feel but it had always felt more personal than that. After a while it was like the shield was a companion or at least an extension of himself. It was a piece of him and having it strapped to his back or on his arm just felt _right_. 

He had mentioned it to Howard once upon a time, but the Artificer had no light to shed on the idea. He hadn’t set out to create a sentient shield, just a magical one, and perhaps it was the magic in the vibrainium that the shield was made out of that Steve could feel. Either way Steve clung to its presence, needing to know where it was at all times and refusing to feel foolish about it. 

He spent over a week in his strange, grief filled, monotonous daze before it broke some. The day started like all the others but slowly Steve became aware of more and more footsteps moving around in the compound. Sure there were a lot of people living here but usually people weren’t moving about this much. When it clicked that something was up, he was at first concerned, ready for a call to action but hearing cheerful voices accompanying the footsteps, it became clear nothing was wrong. 

Still Steve found himself curious and with nothing better to do, he ventured out of his room. There was definitely a buzz about the place but it didn’t seem too busy. He made his way through the corridors until he found himself at the top of the grand staircase. There were more people gathered here, hanging about in groups as they leaned against the banisters and chatted amongst themselves. Looking over the railings he could see more people gathered downstairs in the foyer, chatting away contentedly. It almost felt like a gathering or something. As he made his way towards the stairs the people he passed by greeted him with smiles and good mornings, it seemed that everyone was in a good mood. When he got downstairs, he found that the people in the foyer kept glancing off in the direction of the kitchen, from that direction he could hear more voices, most of them he recognised so he made his way towards the kitchen. He continued to give people nods of acknowledgement as they gushed over him trying to will himself to keep an even pace, make it not look like he was eager to get away from their eyes. 

The kitchen was filled with smiles, though Fury’s smug look was more of a smirk. He, Coulson and Hill were milling around the table as they watched May and Peter Parker chat with the Keeners while Barton and a redheaded woman he’d never met before were talking to another woman with red hair. When a body shifted he saw that in the middle of the two families there was the smiling face of Tony Stark. 

He was completely focused on the young Keener boy who was pouting at something Stark had said. The adults in the little group were watching the interactions with fond eyes and the warmth of the little scene chipped away at some of the ice in his chest. 

“Captain Rogers” Fury called from across the table making all the heads in the room turn in his direction. “I trust you slept well.” 

“Indeed I did Sir” he lied easily. “I thought I’d see what all the commotion was about” he said lightly. 

“Well then,” Fury smirked. “There’s a couple of people I’d like you to meet.” He walked about the table and over to Barton and the two women. “This is agent Natasha Romanov” he said as he extended a hand towards the woman with the shorter red hair. "She one of our best, just back from a mission."

“Good to meet you Captain” The woman said with a crooked eyebrow. “I hear you’ve been causing quite the stir.”

“I can’t say it was intentional” Steve gave her a small smile. It was true, he’d rather have stayed discreet but life seemed to have other plans. 

“Well it’s good to have you on board” she gave him a smirk and Steve got the impression that the way her lip was crooked was its default setting. 

“This young lady is Virginia Potts. Her skills could be well utilised here, if I could drag her away from her current employer” Fury continued with a small hint of annoyance in his amused voice.

“I told you before, it’s Pepper” The woman corrected and turned a polished smile to Steve. “It’s nice to meet you” there was an air of business to her, straightforward and perhaps a little stern but open and kind. 

“Nice to meet you too Ma'am” Steve replied with an incline of his head. 

“The diva over there in the corner is Tony Stark, I believe you’re familiar with the family?” Fury joked and he jerked his head over in Stark’s direction. 

“Well it’s nice to know I’ve made a lasting impression on you Fury” came Stark’s voice from the little group. He broke away from them, leaving Peter and the Keener children to play with Jarvis and moved over to them. “Captain I see you’re up and about” he gave Steve a smirk, which Steve would deny jolted a little something in his chest, and folded his arms across his chest. 

“Mr Stark” Steve replied with a nod and a small smirk of his own. 

“As of today Mr Stark here, has officially become part of Shield. Unsurprisingly he’s been our mysterious Artificer from Strange.” That made sense, given what Howard could do, it was no surprise that his son would also be a talented Artificer and there wasn't even a question to why he had kept himself hidden. 

“Always one to toot your own horn aren’t you Fury” Stark threw at the man with a raised eyebrow. 

“Perhaps you just weren’t as discreet as you thought you were” Fury replied with a good humoured shrug. Stark watched him for a moment but regardless of whatever conclusion he came to, he gave a responding shrug of his own and turned back to Steve. 

“How’s the one eyed pirate here treating you?” Stark asked with an amused smile. Off to the side, Fury made a noise of annoyance which seemed to amuse Stark further. 

“Nothing to complain about as of yet” he said good humouredly. 

"Now I know that's not true" Stark muttered. 

Seeming to come to the end of his tether Fury decided to step again. "Maybe, Captain, you can convince Mr Stark to move into headquarters hm? He seems mighty serious about keeping his distance." The mock annoyance Steve could hear in Fury's voice most definitely wasn't completely fake. 

"What can I say, this place isn't my style" Stark said with a shrug, turning back to Steve. "Too many prying eyes" he stage whispered. 

Steve's agreement with the statement was on the tip of his tongue but he managed to bite it back, remembering himself. "You already have somewhere set up?" he asked instead. 

Stark's amused eyes were warm and Steve was sure in that moment that he had caught onto the admission Steve had managed not to make. "Indeed I do" he said with a smile. “Besides I’d rather not go through the pain of uprooting my work space” he added in an off-handed manner. 

“There is more than enough space here for us to find you somewhere to work Stark” Fury interjected. Fury’s insistence on the matter made Steve frown a little, though Stark’s frown was more openly suspicious. 

“You know where to find me if you need me” Stark voice was carefully level, there was another message under those words; _‘back off’._

“Suit yourself” Fury replied with a shrug. The air had become a little tense, though Steve doubted the families in the room could sense it. “It’d be easier is all. And the less I have to go through Strange the better” Fury groaned. 

“I’ll give you a way to contact me” Stark promised. “In fact I have some business to discuss with you” Stark offered. 

Fury eyed him for a moment before nodding. “Alright then, follow me” he made a mock gentlemanly gesture for Stark to move ahead of him. 

“How kind” Stark teased. “Pep, if you would accompany us.” The redheaded woman he’d been introduced to smiled and nodded as she moved away from Barton and Romanov, muttered a quick goodbye, and joined Stark and Fury. The man with the eye patch raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn’t comment. Flying away from the giggles of the youngest Keener, the girl, Jarvis rejoined his master and Steve couldn’t help but watch the graceful bird as it glided on the air. Regardless of his questions about his origins there was no denying the birds beauty. 

Stark flashed another smile around the room before leaving with Pepper and Fury. The room was still in good spirits after they had disappeared in the direction of Fury’s ‘office’. The Parkers and the Keeners seemed to be getting along well, no doubt drawn to each other given their mutually grim circumstances. It was nice to see them all smiling despite what had happened. It strengthened his belief in what he had told Stark the night he had met him. That what he had done for these people was invaluable. It made him wonder why Stark himself couldn't see it. 

Before long lunch was served, nothing extravagant, bread and soups, small cuttings of meat… But it was wholesome and the air was friendly. Barton turned out to have quite a quick, if somewhat dry sense of humour which had Steve chuckling through the meals conversations. He and Natasha seemed to be fairly close, only needing to exchange looks to communicate with each other. When Steve asked the two about it they told him nothing more than that they had been working together for a long time. There was more to it though Steve could tell. 

Coulson and Hill spend most of their time chatting to each other, swapping old mission stories and reminiscing about the past, and swapping the odd jab at Fury, which earned them a few laughs around the table. All in all it was a pleasant meal, until Steve happened to rescind back into his treacherous head. He came completely out of the moment and found himself studying the little groups of family and friends at the table. He watched how they all communicated without ever saying a word, how they swapped inside jokes and finished each other's sentences. All of a sudden it was like he was viewing the world from behind a sheet of glass. Present, but completely disconnected from it all… He was overwhelmed, as he had so often been recently, by the distinct feeling of not belonging, of being outside and though he smiled his way through the rest of their little gathering, the feeling never faded….

* * *

  
Some time later, Steve had managed to wrangle his way away from the group. He hated that it felt like he was running away from something but he needed to get away from content group. 

He had gotten a couple of concerned looks, predominantly from Peter, and surprisingly, Natasha, but they hadn't stopped him leaving. As soon as he was in his room he was faced with another dilemma. He stared at his practically empty room, devoid of any character and came to realise that he had traded a room that was too loud for one that was painfully too quiet. He stood with his back to his door for longer than he would admit or could remember. He found himself stuck in place with nothing to do and nowhere to go. 

Eventually he pushed away from the wood and sat himself down in the little armchair near the fireplace, unstrapping his shield from his back as he went. He grabbed a rag and a small pot of polish that he kept close by and in perfectly coordinated, well practised movements, he set about cleaning and polishing the familiar metal of his shield. The colours of the metal rings bled into one another and he dragged the cloth across it. The whole endeavour less about the shield maintenance and more about the peace brought on by the monotonous, familiar movements of the procedure. 

The magic on the metal seemed to skip across the rings, it's ever present vibrations making Steve's fingers tingle as the shields magic greeted him again and again in invisible sparks that danced across his skin. 

Without meaning to he poured his loneliness and his frustration into the shield as he worked and he was certain, at least in some instinctual way, that the metal responded to it. As if it was trying to comfort him, and scolding him for running away to his room. It made Steve smile, though he wasn't aware he was doing so. Even if the shield didn't actually have any kind of presence, Steve took solace in the magic that reached out to him. Even if it was all in his head, it helped settle the tight ball of pain in his chest. 

Once he had convinced himself to stop cleaning the shield, which hadn't been in need of maintenance in the first place, he decided to venture out again. He didn't go far this time, finding himself leaning against the banister of the upper floor he was on, and settled for watching people wander about downstairs. None of them looked up or noticed him which Steve was just fine with. Steve wasn't sure how he felt about how often he found himself just watching people, he wasn't even studying them or looking for anything noteworthy, just allowing them to blur in and out of his vision. A strange sort of guilt would wash over him when he would snap out of his daze, the act making him feel like the world was moving by without him. 

But he hadn't snapped out of it yet this time and he was so lost in the people below him that he didn't notice the eyes that were watching him. 

"You come here often?" 

Steve whipped his head around, startled out of his mind, to find Stark casually leaning on the banister railing a little further down the hallway. He was also looking at the movement below them but his expression was light and flickering, like he had little interest in what was going on downstairs. 

“Stark?” Steve snapped himself out of his surprise. “Did you finish what you had to do with Fury?” Stark made a face at that, like the whole experience had been torture. 

“Yeah I just had a little info for him” he sighed. “I figured it’d be a peace offering for not bowing to his every whim” he said with a shrug. He turned his head to look at Steve. He still had a soft smile upon his face but there was a small questioning frown on his brow. He glanced between the floor below them, where people are still minding their own business, and Steve. Steve could see the flash of concern in Stark’s eyes, the same flash he saw in everyone else’s when they take the time to get a decent look at him. He waited for the _‘are you doing okay?”_ that question that he hates and that he will never answer truthfully, at least not to anyone here… but it doesn’t come. Instead Stark seems to come to some other conclusion and pushes contentedly away from the banister. “Are you busy?” he asks out of nowhere. “I can’t imagine the view from here is all that enticing…” his eyebrow is raised in a kind of friendly challenge. They both know Steve isn’t staring down at the headquarters lower floors because he enjoys the pastime. 

“No…” Steve says warily. 

“Good” Stark beams at him. “You can walk me home” the man gives him another broad smile and simply starts to head down the corridor without a care in the world. Steve stared dumbfounded after him, jaw slightly dropped. 

“Wait, what?” Steve blinks himself out of his stupor and takes off after Stark.

* * *

“I don’t think this is the way to Strange’s house...” Steve said softly. In fact he _knew_ this wasn’t the correct route to the Seer’s house even though he’d only been there once. 

“I thought we’d take the scenic route” Stark says lightly as he walked. The air is still cold, but it’s nowhere near as volatile as it had been when Steve had first woken up. The sky was depressingly grey, with heavy clouds blocking the afternoon sun from view. All in all the muddy cobbled streets weren’t anything to look at as they still clung onto the last dregs of winter, but he had to admit it was better than staying hold up in the compound. 

“Besides” Stark continued. “It’s nice to just walk about here without having to hide anymore” Steve didn’t know what to say to that, so he just walked beside him in, surprisingly comfortable, silence. Before long Steve realised Stark was leading him out of the little town and into some nearby trees. He couldn’t stop his survival instincts kicking in as the buildings grew further away, tensing up and scanning the surrounding area. 

There hadn’t been a need to worry though, not that he thought Stark could or would hurt him, as a couple of minutes later they came to a river. It was still partly frozen over but the water that was now flowing despite the freeze made a pleasant trickling noise. There was virtually no plant life on the dried muddy banks, but Steve knew in summer the whole area would be alive with greenery.

Stark was heading towards a sturdy wooden bridge which arched over the cold water. It reminded Steve of old fairy tales; of trolls hiding underneath, but there was nothing ominous about it. Across the way and beyond more trees he could make out the beginnings of more buildings. It would seem this little town was a _little_ bigger than he first thought. 

Their footsteps thunked heavily as they stepped onto the wood and once he reached the middle, the highest point of the bridge’s arch, Stark came to a halt and lent on the thick railing, staring off into the distance. Jarvis, who had been flying lazily above them took off down the partly frozen water, dipping and swirling through the air, brushing his wings along the water… he was playing… Unsure of what else to do, Steve stood next to Tony, their positions much like they had been inside the compounds upper floors, though now Steve’s gaze was far from glazed over. 

Stark rubbed his hands against the cold, blowing on them for a moment. He wasn’t exactly wearing much in terms of winter clothes, in fact the long red coat, embroidered with thick golden threads, seemed far less than practical for this weather, at least he had a thick scarf around his neck.. After a moment Stark seemed to get fed up with the lack of warmth in his fingers and simply conjured a small flame which floated above his palms which were hanging slightly over the railing. 

“Thanks for looking out for the Kid” Steve took a moment to realise who Stark was talking about, it clicked soon enough that it couldn’t be anyone other than Peter. 

“In all honesty, I think he’s been looking after me” Steve replied with a chuckle. Stark threw another smile at him and Steve ignored the way his heart skipped at the sight. 

“The Kid’s too chivalrous for his own good. Looking to help everyone but himself…” Stark mused, his eyes now watching Jarvis doing loops above the water. 

“One would almost think he had a role model of some kind” Steve threw back at him. Stark turned to give him an amused smirk. 

“First off, my self preservation instincts are paramount. Secondly, I would make an awful role model” Stark’s fingers played with the flames in his hand as he spoke. 

“I don’t know about that” Steve said sincerely. “From what I can tell, Peter could benefit from taking after you.”

“That’s only because you haven’t gotten to know me yet” Stark’s smile was suddenly self deprecating and again Steve felt something clench in his chest, but this time it was nothing positive. 

“That’s not hard to remedy, you know” the words were out of his mouth before he realised it but he wouldn’t have taken them back. The look that Stark gave him then made him feel jittery. It was full of amusement and curiosity and… something else, as his eyes swept over him, down and back up again. 

“Is that so?” Stark said after a moment with a smirk. Steve tried to hold back the blush that threatened to rise on his cheeks but he couldn’t tell if it worked. If anything he could just blame it on the cold wind. 

“Yeah it is” Steve said trying to spin the words to sound confident about them despite how Stark’s smirk was riling him up. Stark’s smile widened a little and Steve was struck with the thought that the look was good on Stark. 

“Well I’ll keep that in mind” Stark promised before turning almost bashfully back to watch Jarvis once more. The warm tones of the bird’s feathers was a stark contrast to the dull greys and slight blues surround him. The bird seemed joyful, teasing the water and batting at the air. Up ahead Steve could see how the river widened into a lake, this place would look gorgeous in a few months time. 

“You know you don’t have to stay at Headquarters right” Stark said suddenly. Steve tensed slightly. Stark hadn’t turned to look at him but the way his eyes were holding still, Steve could tell he was gauging his reaction out of his peripherals. 

“I don’t really have anywhere else to go” Steve said truthfully and it wasn’t like he was ungrateful for the rebellion taking him in, and he was used to sharing close quarters, he just… felt uncomfortable there… and somehow Stark had picked up on that.

“Sure you do” Stark replied with a shrug. “You can do anything you want to” his words were firm, confident… “Strange would put you up without a fuss” he said it so casually, like it was nothing but it got Steve’s mind racing. He wouldn’t know how to feel, living under the same roof as a powerful Seer, he also didn’t want to let Shield down, not to mention, his guilt and pride would probably prevent him from even asking. He didn’t much like the thought from hopping from one gift of charity to another.

“I don’t know…” he said slowly. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Stark snorted at that, 

“Strange has a massive house” Stark stated “Bigger than anyone is even aware of I’d wager. It’s fairly empty.” He turned to look back at Steve with an open, friendly expression. “Strange is just as invested in Shield as Fury is and sure he’s an arsehole but he’s reliable” there was sincerity in Stark’s voice. _“I’m and old friend of Strange’s…”_ Stark had said the night they had met, and Stark’s eyes shone with the truth of that statement. 

“You trust him?” Steve said after a moment of hesitation. 

“I trust him more than Fury” Tony said with a shrug. Steve nearly responded to that but held his tongue a little longer. He didn’t think Fury was a bad guy by any means, but he was a little _full on_. 

“I don’t know if Fury would be happy with me up and leaving like that” Steve said eventually. 

“So what?” Stark huffed “Fury can go screw himself. He’s not gaining anything by keeping you locked up there and he’s certainly not losing anything by the prospect of you moving out…” _But what if I’m needed?_ his mind panicked. _What if there’s a call to action, how will we know in time..?_

“You don’t have to make the decision now” Stark offered. “But it’s something to think about…?” Steve looked at his face, reading the sincerity on it and gave Stark a soft smile. 

“Alright…” he agreed sheepishly. As much as he had his doubts about Strange, the prospect of leaving the compound was an alluring one. 

Stark seemed satisfied with that so he let it drop, _well,_ sort of. “Seeing as you’re cooped up all day, what do you get up to?” Stark was playing with the fire again, looking at it more thoughtfully. 

Steve stumbled over an answer knowing full well that he filled his days with absolutely nothing. “I can’t say there’s much to do around here” he replied eventually.

Stark huffed in amusement. “Well what did you used to do before?” he asked, still concentrating on the fire. “You must have filled your free time with something?” 

“Not a lot of free time to be had during a war” Steve replied. Stark tilted his head at Steve and gave him a pointed, almost irritated look. “I used to draw mostly” he said giving into the stare aimed at him. Content with that Stark turned back to the flames in his hand. He made a gesture with the unoccupied hand and pulled a small amount of the flames away from the fire. Unable to help himself, Steve moved a little closer to watch what Stark was doing. Stark’s hand seemed to mould the flame until it became a bright little sphere, shining like a flaming marble. Glancing over the railing Stark casually threw the little creation towards the water, It took every ounce of Steve’s willpower to keep in the sound of disappointment that threatened to leave him as the creation soared towards the icy river. His eyes followed its path downwards until Jarvis swooped underneath it, rolled it down his slender neck to his back and used his tail to flick it back up into the air. Steve watched with a grin as Jarvis did it again, this time flicking it off his wing at a different angle so he hand to twist his body gracefully through the cold air to catch it again. The bird never flinched away from the ball of fire so Steve guessed that it caused him no pain as he played with it again and again, varying its height and direction. The look on Stark's face was fond and overwhelmingly warm as he watched the bird play. It endeared him to Steve even more. Jarvis cawed out happily as he flew, the sound filling the two men with happiness. 

“What kind of things did you use to draw?” Stark asked, eyes not leaving his feathered companion. 

Steve was taken aback for a moment, having been completely enthralled with Jarvis’ playful display. “People mainly I guess… I was never that good at landscapes” he chuckled. Stark hummed in reply. 

“There’s never a bad time to start practising.” The reply was simple but he could tell there was words under the ones Stark had said. 

“No I guess there’s not” he agreed. It was something he hadn’t even thought about since waking up. It was such a small thing, but Steve was suddenly wished he had a sketchbook. He had been so… caught up in being stagnant, he’d forgotten small things like that existed. 

“You don’t always have to hide away alone you know” Stark wasn’t looking at him again and there was a carefulness in the way he spoke the words. “I might not be the best company in the world but you can pop by if you ever need the company, even if it’s just background noise” he offered softly. “In all honesty I’ll probably just ignore you if I’m working” he smiled at Steve then, though it was still a little cautious. Steve smiled back at him, holding Stark’s gaze and willing him to feel his gratitude though his eyes. 

“Thank you Stark” and Steve meant it. He’d gotten to meet a lot of people since he’d woken up in that forest and this was the first time he thought that someone had seen him Steve Rogers and not his famous military counterpart. 

“I’ll only accept that thank you” Stark warned “if you drop that” Steve frowned at him in confusion. “It’s Tony, the only person who calls me by my last name is Pepper and that’s only when she’s being smart.” He huffed. Steve let out a laugh at that. 

“Okay then, _Tony,_ thank you” Tony still looked like it was hard for him to accept the thanks but nodded all the same. 

“Good” he said with a nod and went back to watching Jarvis play. 

They stayed there for a little while longer before doubling back and heading for the Seer’s house. Tony insisted he let him go off alone once the house was insight, reminding him to consider his offer, and then he was gone, contently heading back to Strange’s abode. It was safe to say that Steve had a lot to think about on his walk back to the compound which now seemed to buzz more annoyingly than before.

* * *

 _“Sir I must protest again that this endeavour is far from advantageous...”_ The woods were mainly silent, only Tony’s footsteps in the undergrowth seemed to make a sound as he walked. 

_“Oh shush!”_ Tony chided as they travelled. _“I’ve already estimated that there’s at least a seventy five percent chance this will not result in my death.”_

 _“Sir those are still not sufficient enough odds to stake your life on”_ Jarvis stressed. It was a little jarring to hear so much emotion in Jarvis’ voice. He had been so devoid of individual thought and feeling for so long, Tony hoped this was another sign of his growth. 

_“I’ll be fine”_ Tony insisted. _“Even if something goes wrong-”_

“ _Which it is sure to do”_ Jarvis interrupted. 

_“It wont! I’ll find some way out of it, besides I’ve you on my side.”_ Jarvis huffed at this. Tony could feel waves off frustration come off the bird, but he could also sense his resignation. They both knew that when Tony’s mind was set, nothing would change it.

 _“Yes you do Sir...”_ Jarvis drawled in defeat. Tony continued walking through the trees. He was nearly an hour into the forest at this point, the rest of the world fully hidden by the trees. _“Continue forward for another thirty paces”_ Tony did as instructed and eventually came to a stop in a very small clearing. 

_“Here?”_

_“Here Sir”_ Jarvis confirmed. Tony took a breath, which he would deny was a little shaky and glanced about the clearing. He could see absolutely nothing, just trees as far as he could see in every direction. He almost asked Jarvis for confirmation again but he knew he would give him the same answer. In the silence Tony actually doubted whether or not this was a good idea. Well to be honest he knew this was a foolish thing to do but he was resolute. As if reading his mind, which Tony wasn’t one hundred percent sure Jarvis couldn’t do, his talons squeezed the shoulder he was perched on. He felt no pain from the movement, it was purely a gesture of support which Tony was infinitely grateful for. 

He stood in the middle of the clear and steeled himself before yelling out into the trees. “Why haven’t you killed me yet? You’ve had plenty of opportunities!” Somewhere in the back of his mind there was an image of Pepper with her head in her hands at her employer's stupidity. There was another length of silence. “I know you’re there” he continued “So there’s no point in hiding!” Still nothing. “Let’s at least talk… You have to be hanging around here for a reason if it’s not to finish the job?” Maybe Jarvis was right, maybe was going to get himself killed? 

As if that unsettling thought was the trigger to all this, Tony heard movement ahead of him. He stood his ground and waited. Footsteps came towards him and as they drew nearer, Tony’s heart rate picked up a little. It seemed to take an age, but seemingly from nothing a figure moved out of the trees and stood on the opposite side of the clearing to Tony. His pale eyes bore into Tony, daring him to look away, daring him to move. Tony stayed completely still as he stared into those murderous eyes, a breath caught in his chest. The silence between them held for another beat before the Winter Soldier stalked across the clearing, right at Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I kinda put Steve through the ringer in this chapter. I'm kinda sorry..?  
> Also, though I intend this to be a Stuckony fic, I'm open to other pairings for side characters so let me know if you have any suggestions and/or favourites and I might work them in. 
> 
> To all my wonderful commentators and supporters, you guys are the best and make this fic so much better to write, I hope you're all still enjoying it and I can continue to keep you entertained.


	7. Chapter 7

To his surprise, the Winter Soldier stopped about ten paces across from Tony and just stared at him. It didn’t stop Tony flinching as he drew near though. The two men stared at each other for a moment longer, Tony trying to keep as open as possible and the soldier seemingly trying to kill him with his eyes. 

Since the night of the attack the soldier had kept following him, or maybe he might be following Jarvis. He always kept himself hidden, and seemed to stay quite a distance away from Strange's house, probably warned off by the amount of magic spilling out of that place. But any time he headed to Shield’s headquarters, or he was out on his own, like his impromptu walk with Steve the other day, the Winter Soldier stuck to him even closer. He never made any kind of move though, and as he had pointed out, he had had plenty of opportunities to kill him. Alone Tony was doubtful that he would be able to take the soldier on, something he was fairly certain they were both aware of. So the question had been; why? Why was he hanging back, watching him from the shadows, following his every movement but never approaching? It was clear his task had been to kill Tony but something stopped him from doing so. 

Jarvis had told them all that he had started unweaving a spell of some kind in the soldier’s mind and if there was a spell there to unweave Tony was doubtful that the Winter Soldiers choices were his own. If Jarvis had given him some of his initiative back, perhaps that was enough to give the Winter Soldier pause?

So Tony had made the admittedly foolish decision to approach the soldier, if he didn’t want to kill him, which was yet to be confirmed, maybe he wanted something else? 

He looked exactly the same as the night of the attack, hair long and face covered, eyes burning with anger. He didn’t move as he stared at Tony, which the Artificer hoped was a good thing… but he still seemed far from receptive. 

“So…” Tony began slowly, eyes never leaving the soldier’s face. “Am I correct in assuming you’re the one they call the Winter Soldier?” A long moment of silence stretched out and he got no response. “The silent type then…” Tony thought for a moment. “Why haven’t you killed me yet?” he tried again, though that might have been the wrong thing to say as what could only be described as a growl left the man in front of him and faster than Tony could follow, the soldier advanced on him, gripping his throat with his metal hand and pinning him up against a tree. Tony hadn’t even noticed how the soldier had managed to get him from the centre of the clearing to the edge so quickly, but what he did notice was that though the hand on his throat was firm, it wasn’t tight. 

In the flurry of movement, Jarvis had taken to the air, swirling back at the Winter Soldier and it was only Tony’s mental request for him to hold that stopped his companion from attacking… Tony tried to level out his breathing as best he could. 

“Okay…” he said tentatively, choosing his words here would be important. “Were you sent to kill me?” the answer was obvious but still the Soldier gave no more of a reply than the narrowing of his eyes. Tony would have to take that as a  _ yes _ for the time being. He wet his lips, eyes still holding those of the man in front of him. “Can you talk?” he tried. From their past encounter Tony knew he could definitely make sounds. The Soldier’s frown deepened, but his eyes lost some of his anger and shone with confusion instead. Tony bit his lip as his mind raced.  _ The right wording....  _ “Are you allowed to talk?” 

Again the Soldier gave no response but the fingers at Tony’s throat twitched. Tony tried to breath through his furious heartbeats, the Soldier's eyes were studying him. Very slowly, carefully, the man in front of Tony shook his head. Tony’s heart leapt in triumph but tried to keep his demeanour calm. 

“Do you want to speak?” At Tony’s words the Soldier’s frown became angry again. He used his greater size to push Tony back into the tree, looming over him threateningly, but still the hand at Tony’s throat didn’t squeeze. 

“Easy, easy…” Tony said gently, hands raised in surrender. “I’ll help you if you want…” he promised. “But you’ve got to give me something here..?” Another moment of silence passed between them until eventually the Soldier eased up a little. The pale eye, as hard as they still were, flicked over Tony’s features with uncertainty but after another beat he gave the Artificer a curt nod. 

Tony swallowed. “Okay, let’s try this again…” Tony took a breath. “Do you want to speak..?” Those pale blue eyes held Tony there for a split second before they were followed by another nod. “Okay…” Tony said again. “Is someone controlling you?” The eyes narrowed with what Tony could only describe as pain, the upward, a distressed crinkle on his brown fighting the steely blue cold of his iris’. Another beat, another nod. So at least he was getting somewhere. 

“And you’re under orders to kill me?”

Another nod. 

“But you haven’t?” another flash of pain flew over those blue eyes, pain and confusion. Those eyes looked so lost, Tony imagined even the Winter Soldier didn’t know why he hadn’t followed his orders. The Soldier shook his head. Tony swallowed again, hoping his next question wasn’t going to provoke something. “Do you want to kill me?” he asked warily. A brief flash of anger crossed the soldier’s face, and for a moment Tony felt him tense, like he was going to advance on him again… but he didn’t. The silence between them held longer this time and Tony had to force himself not to push for an answer. There was a war going on behind those pale eyes… Eventually they locked eyes again and the Soldier shook his head. Okay, Tony could work with that. 

“Do you think you could let me go then..?” the fingers against his throat flexed, and even in the small movement, Tony could feel the power behind the metal. The Soldier looked torn but no less threatening. “I’m not going to attack you, or run…” Tony promised. The Soldier studied him again, eyes going from Tony’s face to his still raised hands. They both knew who would win in a fight here, Tony wasn’t a viable threat, Tony needed the Soldier to believe that. Those pale eyes narrowed once more, the grip on his throat tightening momentarily before, one by one, the metal fingers uncurled from around Tony’s throat. The urge to slump in relief was strong but Tony stayed still, hands still raised as the Soldier moved back from him a little, though Tony was still backed up against a tree and that metal hand was still in arms reach. 

“Do you remember the night you broke into my home? You remember what happened that night” Tony received a nod, pale blue eyes now somewhat wary. Tony bit his lip as he thought. “Before that night, did you know you were being controlled?” A nod. “Did you care?” A shake. Tony took a breath. “Do you care now..?” The Soldier looked uncomfortable for a moment, hands clenching at his sides. A nod. 

Tony nodded back, eyes moving behind the soldier to where Jarvis was perched in a tree. “Do remember the the bird?” A nod. Tony called Jarvis over, still staying still, hands still in the air as Jarvis flew over to land on his shoulder. The bird’s eyes bore into the Soldier and Tony could feel how tense Jarvis was. The Soldier was tense too, looking moments away from attacking again. “We think we can weaken the hold on you” Tony said carefully. The Soldier’s eyes moved quickly between the two. “Jarvis here found a spell wrapped around your mind. He tried to break it that night… he- we want to try again…” if it was possible the Soldier tensed further, eyes fearful. “We don’t want to hurt you” Tony assured him. “We just want to help… but we can’t guarantee it'll be painless…” ‘in more ways than one’ Tony couldn’t help but think. The Soldier took an unexpected step back from them then. He was visibly distressed, lost in thought, it was the largest display of emotion Tony had seen from him up until this point. 

“How about this” he said after a beat. “I’ll return to this clearing in two days time… If you’re willing to let us help, then you can return..?” Tony offered. The Soldier seemed to consider that for a few seconds before nodding, turning on his heel and stalking back into the forest. 

“That was abrupt” Tony muttered as his form finally slumped in relief. “Well at least I’m still alive” he said with a nervous smile. 

_ “So it would seem Sir...”  _ Jarvis drawled from his shoulder. 

“J, we need to have a serious discussion about your sass…”

* * *

Why did he feel nervous? There was no need to feel nervous… Tony was just a guy, like any other guy,  _ well _ that wasn't  _ exactly  _ true, but the thought help ease Steve's mind a little. Besides, he had a legitimate excuse to be here… Wow, that sounded pathetic even to him. Tony had told him he could just turn up if he wanted to, he had offered, so Steve shouldn't really need an excuse… But it felt better having one. 

Since that day on the bridge, Steve had wanted to see Tony again. Straight away in fact, but come the next day he couldn't think up a reason for showing up at Strange's house and he couldn't help but think it would be weird if he just arrived out of the blue. 

Yes Tony had all but told him to come by but it still felt weird. 

Also, there was another reason he was skirting around the idea of seeing Tony again. 

Right from the moment he'd met him, Steve had been drawn to Tony. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was; perhaps it was that wild playful energy he always seemed to have, or that knowing smirk of his that laid on the perfect balance of smug and amused… either way something about the man both settled and excited him. If he'd never felt this way before he might have been more confused, but he'd been down this road before. 

It startled him that these feelings for the brunette had come on so quickly and that worried him. He worried that he was just latching on to another smart mouthed brunette to replace the one he had lost, the one who's absence he still felt painfully in his chest. If he was then that wasn't fair on either on them and right now he found it difficult to tell exactly what he was feeling. Despite the fact it had been over half a century since Bucky had been lost, for Steve it had only been a couple of months and the loss still hurt desperately. 

One thing he did know, however, was during the short walk they had taken together Steve had felt more at ease than he had been since he'd woken up in the future. 

It also wasn't fair to say that Tony and Bucky were exactly alike, because they weren't, not just in looks but in character as well. The more time Steve spent with Tony, the more differences he was sure to find. He wanted to find them, to prove to himself that this sudden attraction he felt for Tony wasn't just another form of grief. 

So he had sat on the idea of going to see the Artificer, both wanting to and worrying about going, and now he had an excuse, a reason to go. 

_ Well  _ that wasn't exactly right either… Fury had mentioned handing over a list of items to Strange for Tony. The way he had grumbled about it all made it clear Fury would rather do anything but, so Steve had offered to take the list for him. It wasn't as much an excuse as it was Steve seizing an opportunity… But at least it was a reason. 

He came upon Strange's home having enjoyed the brisk walk, now standing somewhat awkwardly in front of the door, trying to stop the flutter in his stomach. 

After he had chided himself a bit at his stupidity, he knocked on the door. Eerily it opened before Steve had even lowered his hand, but Strange was not on the other side. Instead it was his cloak that had opened the door. 

It felt more than a little odd to greet the garment, who seemed almost pleased in the way it swished about. It beckoned him inside “arm” out as it gestured, as if an invisible man stood inside the cloak. Steve entered with a smile, trying not to confuse himself over the sudden question that entered him mind;  _ ‘can the cloak see?’  _ It almost seemed impolite to ask…

“I, er, I have-” Steve began but cut himself off as the cloak began to drift away from him gesturing again, this time for Steve to follow him… it…

Rather than lead him to the kitchen Steve had been in before, the cloak led Steve upstairs, past the floor he had first met Tony and Bruce on, after counting the landings they passed, they wound up on the sixth floor. Look out over the banister he saw he was practically in the middle of huge domed window that covered the front of the house, looking upwards, he couldn’t tell how many floors were above him and looking down he couldn’t see all the ones they’d passed. It was a little disorientating. From the outside, Steve would have guessed the house was no higher than four floors, five at a stretch. Steve could hear music coming from one of the rooms, loud, heavy music, the type of which he hadn’t heard before. As the cloak led him on it got louder and when they stopped outside a door, Steve could tell this was where the music was pouring out from. The cloak gestured at the door, seemed to bow slightly and flew off back towards the stairs, it’s job now done. Steve turned back towards the door. Knocking would probably have little effect, given the noise coming from the room, but Steve did it anyway. To his surprise, the music stopped and the door creaked open unassisted by physical hands. He stepped into the room, glancing about as he did so. 

The room was brightly lit by sconces lining the walls and a candle-baring chandelier from above though the light coming from them was far too white and solid to be the results of flames. The room was massive, with an entire section dedicated to bookcase after bookcase, a few tables were lined up by them stacked high with even more books and haphazardly flung papers and bric-a-brac. Further into the room was a furnace, welding tools and blacksmiths equipment, off in a corner a couch had been crammed into an alcove, more books stacked on a wall mounted shelf. There were piles of metal, mannequins standing upright with unfinished garments draped over them, a glass case filled with unrefined gems, drafting tables, more books, a chalkboard… and in the middle of the chaos was a mass of swirling orange and gold rings around a black orb. It hovered above the ground, moving around ever so slightly. The orb directed itself at Steve for a moment before shifting to something behind it, moving the mass of rings as it went. 

“ _ Sir…”  _ came a familiar drawl. 

“Yes I know” came another voice, and from somewhere behind the mass, Tony’s head appeared. He moved around, the entity with a warm smile covering his face. “Hey Cap” he grinned. “I was wondering if you’d show up.” Steve tried, he really did, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the form next to the Artificer. If anything Tony seemed rather amused by the entrapment of his attention and turned back to the mass. “Take five J” he threw to the room and Steve watched, fascinated, as the form flashed to be replaced by the flame coloured bird they had watched play over the river. The bird chirped towards Steve and glided over to a bird stand Steve hadn’t even noticed was there. He blinked himself out of his stupor looking back towards Tony. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Tony asked with a smile. 

Steve had to swallow discreetly before he spoke, still somewhat in awe. “Fury sent me over with a message” as Steve spoke Tony moved closer to him. He has dressed in a pair of well worn and work stained trousers and a top where the sleeves were cut high, showing off the shorter man’s well defined arms, no doubt toned by his blacksmithing skills. The outfit was nothing like the second hand garments he’d been in the first time they’d met, or the overtly flamboyant ones of their second meeting...

“Didn’t want to tell me himself” Tony replied with amusement. 

“I may have offered to come instead” He hadn’t really meant to admit that so readily but Tony’s face immediately brightened, his brown eyes twinkling. 

“Well I’m glad you did” Tony’s wide smile was full of childlike happiness and it’s adorableness just made Steve fall for him all the more. “I’d take you over that sourpuss anyday. What can I do for the one eyed grump?” 

Steve reached into his pocket to produce the long list of requests Fury had given him. He was almost hesitant to hand it over, how did Fury expect one man to make all of this? “He gave me a list of requests.” He held the piece of parchment out to Tony, who took it without any fuss. 

“A list of demands more like” Tony muttered and Steve stopped himself from verbally agreeing. Tony’s eyes scanned the piece of paper impossibly fast and he replied almost instantaneously. “There’s nothing on here that’ll give me too much trouble. Tell Fury I’ll get to work but I’m not giving him a definite timeline.” The Artificer said while still scanning the words. 

“I’m not surprised” Steve replied after nodding. “It’s quite a long list…”

“It’s doable” Tony said with a shrug, moving back into the room a bit. “Hey, why is there nothing on this list for you?” Tony asked, halting his movement to look back at Steve. 

“Me? Oh, I don’t need anything” Steve explained. 

“Sure you do” Tony argued. “Especially if you’re only kitted out with the bare minimum SHIELD can find for you.”

“Honestly I’m fine, I don’t need much in the way of protection” Steve shrugged 

“Just because you’re built a bit sturdier than the rest of us doesn't mean the reinforcements wouldn’t be beneficial… Besides, I bet that whatever they managed to scrounge up for you just doesn’t sit right?” Tony wagered with a smirk, and annoyingly he was right. Steve had a unique build and the clothing and armor they had provided him with were all a little bit  _ off. _

“They gave me what they could” Steve dodged, making Tony’s eyes light up in triumph. 

“And whatever I’ll make you will be better” Tony affirmed with ease. 

“Tony, I really don’t need-”

“Too bad “ Tony smirked. “I’ve decided you’re getting a new battle wardrobe” he grinned with the decision before grabbing Steve’s wrist and dragging him further into the room. “Stand still" the Artificer ordered. 

"Tony, what-" 

"Jarvis take the Captain's measurements will you." 

“Certainly Sir” cam Jarvis’ voice, the bird flew back towards the centre of the room and hovered in front of Steve. “Could you remove your shield Captain” The bird requested. Steve took a moment to comply, a little hesitant about the whole situation but unstrapped the metal shield from him back and set it down on a nearby chair. "Very good Captain, please refrain from moving" Steve did as he was told but watched in quiet awe as gentle warm light engulfed him. Jarvis circled around him a few times, soaring higher and lower as he flew, never seeming to flap his wings as he moved. 

Then, just as soon as it had appeared, the warm glow around him faded to nothing and Jarvis was flying back to his perch. 

"Thanks J" Tony called over, multiple pieces of paper in his hands, one of which being the list from Fury. After scanning through them, Tony seemed to find whatever he was looking for and began organising a mess of paper and tools on a drafting table. 

Steve watched him for a moment. Tony was grinning, he doubted the Artificer was even aware of the fact. He was lost to planning and theorising, and he was stunning… His eyes were alive with curiosity and determination. It was like watching an artist paint. 

Steve took a moment to snap himself out of his stupor, Tony was now bustling about excitedly, Steve would wager that the Artificer had forgotten he was there. He didn't mind though, moving over to pick up his shield once more. 

He shuffled back towards the door, turning to excuse himself when Tony beat him to the punch. 

"Where do you think you're off to?" Steve stared at him dumbfounded. Tony was still bustling about, now spreading large sheets of drafting paper on one of the tables. 

"I, uh, didn't want to get in the way" Steve began, but Tony seemed to ignore the words, leaving what he was doing and walking over to Steve. 

"Come with me" he demanded, grabbing Steve's wrist and dragging him across the room. Despite his protests, Steve went along with it. If Steve didn't really want to follow the Artificer, he could have easily stood his ground. There was just something infectious about Tony. 

Tony pulled him over to a comfortable looking sofa, let go of his wrist and used Steve moment of confusion push Steve down onto the cushions. "Stay there" he ordered and moved back into the room. Steve glanced about, his lips struggling not to smile at Tony's command but he complied. 

The Artificer returned quickly, holding a book out to Steve. "This is for you" Tony said with a smirk. 

Steve reached out to take it. It was plain, simply bound with no marking on the grey cover. "What is it?" he asked, turning it over in his hands. He got his answer soon enough for when he opened the book he was met with pages and pages of blank paper. It was a sketchbook. 

"They're not hard to get a hold of, but I assumed you hadn't found one for yourself yet" Tony explained. Steve fought against a lump that started to clog his throat. 

Why had he..? 

Steve continued to flick through the empty pages like he might find some kind of answer in them. 

Tony had got him a sketchbook after a brief comment about his past… He couldn't have known he'd have an opportunity to give it to him… and even still… Steve dragged his fingers over the paper for a moment before looking back up at Tony. The Artificers eyes were filled with warmth and happiness, and a little smugness. A matching warmth filled his own chest and seeped through into his smile. "Thank you Tony" he said softly, trying to keep his throat from closing up with the rush of emotions caused by the small gesture. 

"None of that now" Tony chided "as I said, they're not hard to find and they cost next to nothing" he shrugged. 

How could he not see how much this meant to Steve. "I'm serious Tony, this means a lot" Tony glanced at his feet, uncomfortable with Steve's gratitude and shrugged again. 

"Well at least you have it now. And here-" he shifted over to one of the tables and brought back a container filled with pens, pencils and other stationary. "They're not exactly art supplies but they should do until I can find something better." Tony apologised. 

"Honestly Tony you don't have to-" 

"Just sit there and draw" Tony waved away his protests and moved back into the room to begin working again. "Let Jarvis know if you need anything!" 

Steve stared after him in wonder. Almost immediately, Tony was sucked back into his work, pouring over the information at the drafting table. Steve's hands clenched lightly on the sketch book as he watched the man's back, shoulders and arms move. A smile spread over his lips and he didn't try to stop it. He felt peaceful and safe… 

Steve unstrapped the shield from his back and relaxed into the sofa, grabbing a pencil as he went, and got to drawing. 

* * *

“Commemorative plates?!” Steve echoed in disbelief.

“Yep” Tony confirmed, taking another bite of his sandwich “Some of them were more tasteful than others. Howard had loads of your memorabilia hidden away at home. It’s all still there but you might have to wait if you want to take a look at it all.” 

“I’m not sure if I want to” Steve said with displeasure. He’d never liked advertising surrounding him. He hadn’t thought it would have continued so long after his supposed death. 

The cloak had reentered Tony’s workspace a few hours later with a tray of food. Tony had flat out ignored the intrusion, though Steve doubted it was out of malice. The Artificer was completely enraptured by his work. It took some coaxing from both himself and Jarvis, back in his strange orb-like form, for Tony to realise food had been brought up. It looked Tony had completely forgotten Steve was even there, watching him drag himself out of his work frenzy was pretty fascinating. 

Tony had seemed annoyed at first but soon enough that warmth was back in his eyes and he conceded to sit and eat lunch with him. 

“Personally I think the comics are my favourite” Tony continued thoughtfully. “Actually I think Howard might have kept some of your stuff at the house…” Tony remembered. “There’s a jacket and some other bits and pieces if I recall correctly.”

“Howard kept my jacket? The one with the sewn up tear in the sleeve?”

“Well I think Peggy was the one who kept it, Howard just started collecting things of yours.” Tony explained. Steve marvelled at that. So some of his stuff was still floating around from way back when. The thought of Peggy holding onto his battered jacket long after he had magically outgrown it was something though. What a woman she had been, beautiful, loyal and fierce, and so overwhelmingly kind. It had been a relief to find out she had lived a long, happy life with someone she loved. He always felt he’d let her down by turning down her advances, but his sights had firmly been set elsewhere. 

“I wouldn’t mind looking through them at some point” There might not be anything of importance in the collection Howard had created but it might be nice to browse through the old memories. 

“You’re welcome to, though it might have to wait a while. That part of the house is sealed off for the foreseeable future.”

“It is dangerous or something?”

“No” Tony replied. “There’s a huge part of the house hidden underground” Tony explained. “Howard's workshop’s down there, and a smaller one that was intended for me to use. I don’t even know of everything that’s down there but I would bet there’s a few interesting books and magical artefacts, along with plenty of Howard's personal stuff” Tony finished up his sandwich and settled back into his chair. 

“Why’s it sealed off?”

“Because the whole area radiates magic, like this place but not as strong. When SHIELD began acting strangely, Howard sealed everything up so the house wouldn’t be targeted and told me to lie about any abilities I had. Breaking the seals, even for a moment would be like opening the floodgates. There’d be no way to hide that large of a magical signature.” 

“Is that why you work from here?” Steve guessed as he gestured about the workspace. If Howard had been the one to seal everything up, then Tony must have been providing the rebellion with support from elsewhere. 

“Yep, though this whole setup is new, courtesy of this strange, but rather useful, house. I used to share a workspace with Bruce downstairs but I guess Strange thought I’d need the space after moving here.” 

Probably because of the higher demand for Tony’s services Steve guessed but the gesture spoke volumes about Strange’s character. “That’s pretty decent of him” Steve said after a moment. Tony chuckled at that. 

“Strange doesn’t do anything that doesn’t benefit him in  _ some _ way” Tony said with a grin, solidifying the inaccuracy of the statement.”But yeah, he’s done a lot for me over the years” Tony’s eyes became distant for a second before his blinked himself out of it. “Anyway!” he announced. “Back to work!”

* * *

Tony tired not to let his nerves get the better of him as he waited. His foot was tapping impatiently, Jarvis perched on his shoulder. This time the approaching footsteps were more pronounced, loud in the silence of the forest but no less steady. 

The Winter Soldier came into view across from them once again, dressed exactly as before in his mask and combat gear but his eyes held a little less anger Tony would wager. He was here at least and Tony couldn’t stop the smile that over his lips as small as it was. 

The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Tony spoke. “You came back” he stated. “I assume that means you’re willing to accept our help?” The soldier crossed his arms over his chest but nodded. “Good” Tony confirmed, taking a step further into the clearing. “Shall we get started then?” The soldier stared him down, eyes briefly flicking towards Jarvis before moving forward into the clearing to join him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter went in a bit of a circle, I hope it was at least a bit interesting ^^ I'm still open to all of your suggestions and thank you so much for your continued support.   
> As some of you may or may not know, I recently moved halfway across the world so I'm still adjusting to everything here but I'm still dedicated to this story and all of you reading.   
> Your comments and support mean so much and continue to make me smile.


	8. Chapter 8

_ Blood and anger. Flashes of people screaming, begging for their lives. A sickly cold made its way down his spine, spreading to fill his chest, his abdomen, his arms and legs. He couldn’t breathe. More people were yelling as he watched his own hands take the lives of countless victims. Evil souls bound for darkness, the greedy, murderers, traitors but also innocents, witnesses, the helpless… he felt nothing… or at least he thought he did. Their pleas meant nothing to him, their faces forever burned in his mind but eliciting no response from him.  _

_ From a rooftop, he watched himself fall towards a woman, target assigned numbers running through his head as he went, ticking off successes, cataloguing failures, few though they were… His mind's eye shifts and he’s standing before a man who snarls at him, teeth bared as he’s backed into a corner. The man speaks but he doesn’t hear what he’s saying, he doesn’t care, all that matters is his death.  _

_ His grip tightens on the long blade in his hand and he wastes no time, arching it silently, quickly through the air and across the man’s throat. Blood pours from the wounds, falling over the hands now desperately clutching his neck. _

_ He watches just long enough to see the man fall to the ground, to confirm the kill before turning his back to the now lifeless body and makes his way down the darkened street.  _

* * *

Tony gasped as he came back to himself. He felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured down his back. The images continued to flash in his mind for a moment before fading away. There were small tremors pulsing throughout his body but slowly they began to fade also. Looking up at the man across from him, Tony could tell he wasn’t fairing much better than he was. His eyes were clouded with pain and confusion, and now that he’d taken down his mask, his expressions were much clearer. Tony could feel the tremors coming off him through their joined hands, which he dropped now that he was reminded of them. 

The Winter Soldier looked like he was in pain, but Tony doubted it was physical. 

Seeing as Jarvis' last attempt at breaking the spell had been only partly successful, Tony and Jarvis had spent a decent amount of time discussing what the spell could be and how to break it. Annoyingly, Bruce's voice came to him a couple of times telling him to ask Strange. If there was anyone who could magically evaluate the Soldier, it would be Strange, but keeping this a secret felt important for now. 

Either way, from what Jarvis could tell, something had blocked him from continuing to unweave the spell. Trying again would no doubt end up the same so modifications needed to be made. What those modifications should be took a bit of discussion and what they had landed on still had no guarantee of working. 

When the Soldier had first entered the clearing, he had begrudgingly let Jarvis look him over. 

_ “My evaluation of the spell identifies it a strong mind control charm. Most probably strengthened and reapplied repeatedly over a prolonged period of time. Suppression of memories, emotions and personality being among the main effects.”  _ Jarvis diagnosed from Tony’s shoulder. Tony watch for any kind of reaction from the Winter Soldier but saw nothing but resignation in those ice blue eyes. 

“Anything else” Tony asked. 

_ “Layers of the spell target obedience and suppression of will, though as of yet I can detect no form of punishment that comes directly from the spell”. _

“So we can break it without the spell backlashing onto our assassin friend?”

_ “Theoretically Sir, yes. Another aspect of the spell leaves the target open for mental intrusion to the one or ones who weaved it.” _

Tony bit his lip as he thought, he supposed that made sense… no better way to control someone and confirm their actions than to read their thoughts… Still… Tony focused on the Soldier again. “Do you currently work for Hydra?” The Soldier took a breath and tilted his head slightly... eyes honing on Tony. His brow furrowed for a moment before he nodded once, curtly. When Tony went to speak again, the Soldier raised his hand making him pause. The look the assassin gave him still held his ever present steel but it was trying to convey something else. "You don't  _ only _ work for Hydra?" Tony guessed. The Soldier crossed his arms over his torso once again and nodded. 

Well that didn't bode well for anyone… Not only was Hydra still around, still using magic, apparently they weren’t working alone…

But even still there was another question he had to ask. "I assume you don't know how old you are but you must have some idea of how long you have been in Hydra's control…" The Soldier watched Tony carefully. "Were you alive during the last war?" it was a ludicrous idea. The man could not be that old… A nod. 

Tony took a breath. This man had been under a mind control spell for the better part of a century… Something boiled in Tony's blood at the mere idea of it all. How this man was still alive and still looking so young was a mystery though. 

Tony redirected his thoughts, trying to stay on track. "Do you know of when they strengthen or update the spell controlling you?" 

In the first real display of emotion Tony had seen from him, the Soldier flinched, pain flashing cross his face. They eyes that found his once more were less cold. The Soldier nodded again. "Is it always the same person?" 

The Soldier shook his head. 

"So this ‘mental intrusion’ isn’t limited only to the original creators of the spell… could we use that to our advantage?”

_ “I believe so Sir. Unweaving the spell would be more effective from inside the mind than outside. However there fail safes in place to prevent others from accessing the Winter Soldiers mind. To do so ourselves we would require a key of some kind. A code, password or something to that effect whilst attempting to gain access”  _ Jarvis explained calmly.  __

Knowing that trying to guess something like that would be next to impossible, Tony turned back to the Soldier. “Does something like that sound familiar?” 

The Winter Soldier now looked visibly uncomfortable, eyes dropping to the ground as he shuffled from one foot to the other. He nodded without looking at Tony. “Do you know what the code word, or words are?” Still without looking at him, the Soldier nodded. 

Tony nodded in return. “Okay…” Tony said as he thought. Spells in themselves were not Tony’s area of expertise. Though he may have some knowledge and limited power when it came to spell construction, he was completely reliant on Jarvis for this, which in itself was risky as the bird himself wasn’t fully aware of what he could do or how he went about doing it. “What would you suggest J?”

_ “If the Winter Soldier does indeed want this spell removed, it would have to be removed in the way it was formed; in stages. As each layer of the spell is removed he will gain more of his former self, personality, drive and emotions. The most effective way to do this would be to enter the Soldier’s mind and unweave it from within. However, I believe a being such as myself, directly entering a human mind may cause additional damage”  _ Tony frowned at Jarvis. He had never mentioned anything like that before, not that he’d ever entered another’s mind before, at least to Tony’s knowledge.

“So what do we do then?”

_ “The process is still possible, if I channel myself through another.” _

“Isn’t that the same thing, but with another person?” 

_ “No Sir, it is not. The link into the Soldier’s mind created by Hydra is a direct line into his conscience, his very being. Even a human should not delve that deeply into another’s soul”. _

“His soul!?”

_ “A turn of phrase Sir”  _ Jarvis assured him. “ _ But perhaps not far from the truth. If I were to channel through another, it would be like projecting my magic through another’s, without any touch on the mind of the one being channeled, I would be harnessing their magic, not their mind.”  _

“Alright” Tony said, coming to a decision. He turned back to the Soldier. “Winter, does this sound like something you’re willing to do?” The Winter soldier wasn’t looking at them, eyes still firmly planted on the ground. “Hey, look, I know this sucks” he said in a softer voice. “This entire situation is horrible and what has been done to you is beyond awful… but if you really want this spell removed, this is the way to do it. I know I definitely wouldn’t want someone poking around in my head, so I get that, and I apologise. We don’t have to do anything today. In fact we don’t have to do anything at all-”

The Winter Soldier's hand flew up to grab at Tony’s wrist, cutting off his speech. Worried, desperate blue grey eyes bore into him, pleading eyes. The flesh hands’ grip was tight on his wrist but it wasn’t painful. “Okay, okay” Tony said softly. “It was just an option. If you want to do this, then we’ll do it. Just Jarvis and I” Tony assured him. “And if it doesn’t work, we’ll find another way if that’s what you want.” He searched the Soldier’s eyes. They looked calmer now. Slowly the Winter Soldier lowered his hand and crossed it over his chest again. 

Tony purposefully held eye contact with the Soldier, looking for any doubt within. “Is this something you want to do?” there was a lot to be doubtful regarding this situation but Tony wasn’t willing to do anything without the Soldiers consent. The Soldier nodded once more and that was all Tony needed. 

“Right, you’re going to need to give us these code words” Winter raised an eyebrow at him, the expression very clearly asked ‘ _ how’ _ with as much snark as the small gesture could muster. Tony couldn’t help but smile at the gesture but produced a pencil and some parchment out of thin air, holding them out with a grin. Winter rolled his eyes and snatched them away. He jotted the words down without any preamble and handed them back to Tony. 

_ Longing, rusted, furnace…  _ there were ten in total. Tony flicked his eyes back up to Winter. “All of them have to be said?” Winter gave another affirmative. “And you want to start now?” There was the briefest moment of hesitation but Winter nodded again. “Okay then” Tony said softly. “How do we do this J?”

_ “I would suggest sitting Sirs, as of yet we do not know how long this will take. Physical contact is advisable but I do not think required. I shall begin channelling my magic through yours Sir, then speak the words and you should be granted access into the Winter Soldier’s mind.” _

“And what am I meant to do?”

“ _ Nothing at present Sir, you may experience foreign sensations or view memories that are not your own. As the spell is lifted they may become more intense”  _ Jarvis explained. 

Tony nodded his head thoughtfully before looking back at Winter. “Last chance, you certain about this?”

Winter gave him a strange look then, brow furrowed in confusion. He studied Tony for a moment, like ha was a puzzle to solve, before reaching a hand up and tugging down his mask. The two men stared at each other for a moment. There seemed to be a weight on the air as Tony looked at the Winter Soldier’s face properly for the first time. Considering the significance of what was happening in the small clearing, thinking the Soldier’s rugged appearance and piercing blue eyes made the assassin drop dead gorgeous was probably a little inappropriate… 

The Soldier glanced at Jarvis and then back at Tony and gave him a decisive nod. 

Tony swallowed discreetly and nodded back. “Well, we’d better get comfortable then” Tony said with a shrug, scanning the ground for the least uncomfortable looking patch of winter worn dirt. With a huff he sat down and glanced up at the other man. “Come on then Soldier” he said with a grin. Winter rolled his eyes but moved over and plopped down opposite Tony. “One quick thing before we start” Tony piped up as Jarvis settled back onto Tony’s shoulder. “Are we sure this is not a curse of some kind?” he asked, ignoring how the notion sent a wave of cold panic through him. 

_ “Yes Sir. A curse cannot be continually modified as this spell has been.” _

That eased the pit in Tony stomach. “Let’s get this show on the road then” he said, making eye contact with the Soldier. Winter stared back at him determinedly, eyes still full of worry but also resignation. Tony opened his hand in offering and Winter didn’t hesitate to take it. 

_ “I shall begin”  _ Jarvis said softly. The bird began to glow, warmth pouring in waves from him. Slowly Tony could feel the bird’s presence melt into him, like something in the back of his mind. The presence was far from hostile though. The feeling spread further into him. He could feel his own magic respond to the intrusion. Curiously probing the foreign magic before eventually entwining with it.  _ “Sir, please recite the words while concentrating on the Winter Soldier.”  _ Tony opened his eyes, not knowing when he’d closed them, to find the Soldier once more. Winter had an incredulous look on his face, almost akin to awe as he watched him and Jarvis. 

Seeing no doubt in those blue eyes, Tony began speaking the words calmly. “Longing, Rusted, Furnace, Daybreak, Seventeen…” The world started to go dark but Tony continued speaking, no longer able to hear his own voice as he was plunged into the Winter Soldier’s mind. 

* * *

Tony blinked away the images that were stubbornly lingering in his mind and glanced at the Winter Soldier. “Are you doing okay?” Pained blue grey eyes stared back at him. They dashed about the clearing worriedly for a moment before finding Tony once more and he nodded. 

“Still can’t speak?” Winter’s eyes fell to the ground as he shook his head. He was clearly distressed but looked no less dangerous. “Do you feel any different?” The assassin frowned, mouth drawn into a thin line and nodded. “I suppose that’s good…” Tony said softly. “J?”

_ “I was indeed able to begin unweaving the spell but it will take time to deconstruct. I believe the spell may have been replenished more regularly than we had first anticipated.” _

“Why would it need to be updated so frequently?” Tony asked, eyes not leaving the man in front of him. 

_ “My best assumption would be that without the updates, aspects of the spell would deteriorate”. _

“Well that’s useful” Tony murmured, eyeing Winter again. The assassin seemed lost in his thoughts, far away… Tony was tempted to let him stay there. “Hey Soldier” he prompted, trying to capture his eye line. Winter blinked himself back into the clearing and tilted his head at Tony in question. “Is this something you want to do again?” The Soldier’s eyes lost all of their uncertainty and he gave him a determined nod. “Let’s not overwhelm you, let’s wait a week-” he was cut off by a hand on his forearm again, am aggressive shake of a head and surprisingly, a grunt. “Sooner?” Tony asked dubiously. Unravelling a spell too quickly, which had taken decades to put in place, might be dangerous and while he appreciated the Soldier’s enthusiasm, they didn’t want to end up causing more harm than good… “Three days?” Tony bargained. Winter looked like he wanted to refuse again but thought it over before agreeing. “Alright” Tony agreed also. “But next time I’m bringing a blanket.”

* * *

Watching Tony work was, again, fascinating. The man seemed to go into a trance as he tinkered and created, the world’s tilt shifted for him, rules of time and magic bending around him. It was easy for Steve to go into a trance of his own as he quietly studied him. He drew without thinking, tracing Tony's features as if on instinct. He'd hide them of course, if Tony ever came over to look, he had plenty of miscellaneous doodles he could work on instead, but he enjoyed sketching the Artificer at work. he couldn't quite capture the man's frantic passion for his work with his pencils yet, that perfect glint was always missing from the eyes, but Steve persevered. 

He didn't understand what Tony was doing most of the time, part of him reckoned he probably couldn't even if he tried. Maybe that was why it was so interesting to watch the curve of the man's back when he was hunched over, working on some delicate and fragile, light flaring from his tools and finger tips. Or when he caused something to explode, sparks flying about the room, illuminating his cheekbones and happy grin. 

He’d done a few sketches of Jarvis too in both his forms. His orb like state was infinitely harder to put onto paper than his bird form, trying to translate onto the parchment, how the rings never stopped moving, how they sizzled, how they lit up… it was difficult, but it was fun. 

Whilst drawing Steve was able to zone out himself but it was nothing like how he did so when he was cleaning his shield. There was always something bitter and lonely when he methodically cleaned his shield. When he was drawing, he was happy. It was a simple pass time that had little impact on anything but he’d like to think there was more to it that the simple act of sketching. 

Tony had more of less said to him that day on the bridge that he wouldn’t make for the best company, and sure, Steve could understand where that idea had come from, but it wasn’t completely accurate. The Artificer did indeed ignore him for long stretches of time, he was short tempered when he was dragged out of his work, either by Steve himself or someone else. He was cheeky and sarcastic but none of that stopped Steve seeking out his company. 

If anything it was those long stretches of non-communication that kept him coming back, not that he didn’t enjoy talking to Tony because he did, very much so. But it was the silence that proved to him that Tony wasn’t just good company, but he was great company. It was one thing to occupy the same space as someone and another to feel completely at ease when you did so. Silences between two people were often uncomfortable, awkward with the individuals scrambling to find conversation to fill it. Steve reckoned it was even more so with him, considering how people always got flustered around him once they figured out who he was. Maybe that was something Tony could relate to on some level. 

He could easily brush it off and blame Tony’s complete enrapture with his work for the lack of stiff silence but that wasn't only when they happened. It had happened when they took, rare, walks together, when they ate together, they were at ease with each other in a way Steve wasn’t with anyone else in the future. 

Strange was, well, Strange, and from time to time Bruce wandered upstairs to pester Tony or just to find a bit of company. Steve liked Bruce, the Potioneer was down to earth, kind and approachable. Like Tony, he seemed to ooze intelligence but Bruce wasn’t nearly as cocky about it. When Tony was off in his experiments, the two of them would chat from time to time, nothing of consequence which was nice. Bruce also never seemed to see him as anything other than ‘Steve Rogers’. Any enquiries about his past was free of that lack of awe and worship so many others held. 

From time to time he would come upstairs to grab an opinion off Tony or Jarvis for whatever he was working on. Tony would always drop whatever he was doing to aid Bruce and watching them work together was amazing. It was like they were synchronised, bouncing off one another and finishing each other’s sentences, rambling about things Steve couldn’t catch but was interested in anyway. 

Another person who popped in from time to time, was Pepper. She usually had some form of information for Tony. Whether it be from Fury or someone else. Steve could also tell she was checking up on her boss, if he could still be called that considering she was no longer getting paid. Upon entering Tony’s work space, her eyes would always get lost following him, much like Steve’s own, she had told him she’d never really seen him work before coming here. Her awe never stopped her from scolding Tony though if she needed to. Her no nonsense attitude was a tad intimidating but it bled positively into her interactions with Steve seeing him as a person, and more importantly, Tony’s friend before anything else. 

Even Strange, when he ran into the sorcerer, seemed to regard Steve as nothing more than Steve. Well, he seemed to regard Steve as an annoyance but he was learning not to take it  _ too _ personally. 

All the little interactions made spending time at Strange’s so much more appealing than being at the compound where he felt like a caged animal. Tony had even given him a reason to come back. On the day he gifted him the sketchbook Tony had said; “You leave that here” he gestured to the book as Steve made to leave. “So I know you’ll come back” he added with a wink. So, heated cheeks aside, he did. And Steve felt that Tony  _ did _ honestly want him to keep coming back. It wasn’t because he was Tony’s asset or bargaining chip. He just appeared to like having Steve around. 

“Alright Sleeping Beauty, stand up!” Tony had yelled at him one afternoon. The surprise of it made his pencil veer off in a direction it wasn’t meant to. He took a second to erase the line, aware of how easily Tony could slip into impatience and followed the request. He moved away from the little couch he was on, placing his sketchbook on the coffee table and walked over to Tony. 

“What do you need?” he asked as he walked. 

Tony held out his hands with a smug smile that was brimming with glee. In his hands was a pile of roughly folded material. “Try these on” he demanded. 

“You finished them?” Steve took the clothing in wonder. 

“I won't know that until you try them on” Tony complained, lightly pushing at Steve’s shoulder in order to get him moving. Steve complied and moved behind one of the large bookcases. The clothing wasn’t any more difficult to put on than any other combat gear he had worn in the past but it was both lighter and sturdier in comparison. The clothing came without a pair of shoes, which Steve wasn’t planning to point out to Tony, so he just slipped his own back on and stepped out once he had changed. 

Tony’s eyes followed him as he went making Steve’s skin prickle. “How do they feel?” Tony asked as soon as he stopped in front of the Artificer. 

“They feel great” Steve answered honestly, everything fit just right and already had a well worn feeling to them. Tony rolled his eyes at the response. 

“You have to give me more than that” Tony grumbled. “Can you move in them? Are they restrictive anywhere? Are they too warm? Too cold? Too heavy? Give me something” The Artificer pleaded. Steve couldn’t stop the amused smile that stretched over his face, unable to resist Tony’s cuteness when he was this close to it. His amusement didn’t appear to please Tony however, so Steve moved about a bit, actually focusing on the suit. It was damn near perfect in all honesty. If Tony were to ask for improvements, Steve wasn’t sure he’d be able to give them. 

“Everything feels perfect, honest” Steve said with a shrug. He looked down at himself and in particular the star Tony had emblazoned onto the chest. “The design is pretty cool too” he added and pretended to miss how Tony preened at the compliment. 

“Well we couldn’t have you looking like any old soldier now could we?” Tony stated as if it were obvious. He made a wide, circular movement with his hand and portal-like ring appeared in front of him, it’s edges glowing and spinning. But instead of the portal like ring showing him somewhere new, the ring filled in and he found himself staring at… himself… It was a mirror. 

“You couldn’t have just grabbed a mirror from somewhere?” Steve chuckled. 

“Not all of us can can carry a full length mirror around without a thought” Tony reprimanded. “Stop being smart and appreciate my genius and effort.” 

Steve playfully rolled his eyes. “Yes Sir “ he grinned and faced the magic mirror again. The outfit was predominantly a dark blue, a shade that just pushed it into navy. Red and white band accents surrounded his middle with the aforementioned star standing proud on his chest. It was an outfit that was both practical, the subtle armour plating that was somehow weaved between layers of fabric and it paid homage to the past, his past, his namesake. The darker colour pallet gave it a more serious feel that his last “spangled suit” making it ideal for covert task as well as ones seeped in “Captain Rogers” fanfare. “This really is brilliant” he said as he twisted this way and that. 

Tony looked pretty pleased with himself. “I won’t bore you with the details of  _ everything _ I’ve done with the material but it should stand up to mostly everything. Projectiles, fire, ice, any kind of electrical charge. The stuff can take a beating but won’t stop you from bruising if you take a hit. There are a protection charms and magical repellents weaved into the fabric, not that you should need them....” Steve stared at the clothing's reflection in shock. 

“Woah…” he said softly. All of that, in  _ clothing?  _ And clothing this thin?

“As I said, appreciate my genius” Tony repeated smugly. Steve was still too enraptured with the suit that didn’t make a remark about Tony’s apparent lack of modesty. Steve could take on practically anything in this, knowing he was protected, that  _ Tony _ was protecting him. He whipped his head up, eyes moving away from his reflection and at the Artificer, giving him his widest grin. 

“Thank you so much Tony, this is amazing! It’s incredible!” Howard had never come up with anything like this for him. 

Tony blinked back at him, momentarily stunned by the intensity of his happiness. “W- You’re welcome..? You don’t need to thank me, I wanted to make it” Tony tried to brush it off but Steve could see a light dusting of red on his cheeks.

Steve rolled his eyes, sure he’d been against Tony making the stuff in the first place but he wasn’t going to deny the gratitude he felt for the clothing Tony had essentially gifted him. He left the ‘mirror’ for a moment and moved to grab his shield and moving back. He passed the circular metal back and forth between his hands. Tony must have picked up on whatever minute giveaways there were on his features because he immediately asked if something was wrong. “Not really” Steve replied, strapping the shield to his arm and looking at the ensemble again in the mirror. 

“But there is something” Tony almost seemed pleased by the prospect of an imperfection, a challenge to work on and correct. 

Steve hesitated. “Honestly, it’s nothing, I’m fairly certain it’s just in my head anyway” Steve tried to brush it off. Tony frowned for a split second and then banished the mirror. 

“You want to tell me anyway?” Tony insisted, magically pulling over a couple of the chairs and the low coffee table. Tony, as always came across purely curious and open as he sat down. Steve guessed there was no harm in telling him…

“Okay…” Steve said as he sat down also. He thought for a moment for how best to start. “I guess it’s… I- I can’t feel the Shield with the gloves on…” he got out. 

“Do the friction pads need adjusting?” Tony asked, clearly redesigning in his head as he spoke. 

“No.” Steve clarified. “Nothing like that. I just can’t…  _ feel  _ it” he said again knowing he was making very little sense. 

“You’re gonna have to explain this to me” Tony said after a beat. 

Steve sighed. He would rather go on believing, even if it wasn’t true, that the Shield had some kind of magical connection with him. If he gave it over to an Artificer, especially one as skilled as Tony, he could probably finally get a concrete answer about it’s sentience and Steve wasn’t sure he wanted that answer. “I can’t feel it’s magic” Steve clarified, glancing up at a frowning Tony. 

“I thought you couldn’t use magic?”

“I can’t but I can sense it, better than most magic users, even faint traces of it…” he explained. 

As he processed the information, Tony nodded thoughtfully. “So with the gloves on you can’t feel the magic on the Shield?”

“It’s more like it’s dampened” Steve corrected. 

“Okay then, that’s an easy enough fix” Tony said with a shrug. “I can readjust the charms on the material to ease the flow of magic and magic detection” he added like it was no big deal. “I can even add charms to the shield if you want?” Tony added as an afterthought. 

“Like what?” Steve said warily, not knowing if he liked the idea of tampering with the Shield’s magic. 

“Keying specifically to you, making it so you can always find it in case it gets lost. Adding the ability to summon it back to you after a throw, allowing it to attach to your arms or back without the harnesses…” Tony listed off. “Anything you want really” he shrugged again. 

Steve ran his gloved fingers over the metal still able to feel the subtle vibration through the material. When he didn’t speak for a moment Tony added. “It’s important to you huh?”

Steve lifted his head to give the Artificer a smile. “Yeah it is.... I guess I’m just used to it the way it is. As silly as it sounds, it’s always had my back, in one way or another and sometimes... “ he took a breath. “Sometimes I feel like it’s more than a tool, a weapon” he didn’t look back up at Tony when he said this. “Sometimes I feel like it has a presence you know?”

Tony was quiet for a brief moment before he made a thoughtful sound. “Well was created with magic. Not to mention vibranium resonates magic superbly, I wouldn’t be all that surprised if something like that were true.”

“But you make things all the time,” Steve said, glancing back at the brunette. “Do you  _ feel _ things from your creations?”

Tony gave him a soft, almost content smile. “Sure I do” he told Steve. “Sometimes it’s nothing more than a spark, but there’s something there.” He was thoughtful for another moment. “There are countless schools of thought on magic, and no one  _ really  _ understands magic, the best we can hope to do is beg and plead with it and hope to bend it to our will” Tony chuckled. Steve smiled back. “Fire magic wants to burn, flying magic wants to soar… it’s not so surprising to think that magic has a will of its own, or that it needs our help to do what it wants to” he ruminated. “It stands to reason that more complex magic, like that of your shield, would have more complex wants and desires, especially if it’s developed over time…”

Those words settled something in Steve’s chest. “So what’ll happen if you add new charms to it?”

Tony’s face tightened in thought for a moment. “A very crude way of putting it would be; teaching a dog new tricks. The fundamentals aren’t going to change but it’ll… evolve a bit” Tony approximate, his hands gesturing loosely in front of him. 

“That doesn’t sound too bad” Steve decided after a beat of silence. Under his finger the vibrations intensity spiked when the words left his mouth, as if in eager agreement. “Maybe you can add a few updates to it.”

Tony beamed at him “Go get changed again” he ordered. “I’ll tinker with the shield first so you can take it home with you” Steve didn’t really think of the compound as  _ home _ per se but he stood again, handing over the shield to Tony, only a tad reluctantly and went back over to the bookcase. 

“This thing feels like it’s ready to jump” Tony yelled after him. Just before Steve slipped behind the bookcase a glance at Tony showed him running his fingers over the metal with a glee filled smile plastered over his face. Steve just smiled fondly and got changed. 

When he got back, the shield was on one of Tony’s many tables and he had a book in his hand. “My guess is that the shield is already linked to you in some capacity…” Tony said without looking up from the book. Steve place the modified garments on a table top and turned to lean back against it as Tony spoke. “It shouldn’t be too difficult to amplify that” Tony continued with a grin, before looking up at Steve. “Let’s play shall we?”

The vast majority of what Tony said and did after that point may as well have been gibberish to Steve but he went along with Tony’s excitement all the same. Tony and Jarvis worked quickly and efficiently together, adding layers of magic to the metal which the shield seemed to absorb eagerly. 

After each new charm was added, Tony would hand it back to Steve to play around with. The Shield resonated with him more and more each tweak. Rather than changing, like Steve had thought it would, it was more like the magical signature was brought into sharper focus each time, lifting Steve’s heart.

After each new update the two of them would experiment; having Steve locate the shield from wherever in the ‘lab’ Tony had hidden it. It quickly devolved into a very silly game, with Tony finding more and more ludicrous places to hide the shield, including magically sticking it to the ceiling. The game culminated in Tony using magic to consistently keep the shield floating behind Steve, driving the captain insane, having him whipping back and forth. Tony had dissolved into laughter at Steve’s flailing and it hadn’t taken Steve long to join him, but at least they knew that Steve now always knew where the shield was instinctively. They still had to test it over longer distances but that would come later. 

The final alteration to the shield they made was the aforementioned summoning of the shield. That also ended up in a game, with the shield flying at Steve from all corners of the room. Though this time it was a little more destructive. The Shield always took the most direct path to Steve’s hands, with no regard for what was between it at the target. Bottles and equipment were either broken or sent flying, not that Tony seemed to care much. 

They were very much lost in their little bubble of mayhem until they were interrupted by a shriek. On instinct Steve caught the shield as it whizzed through the air, coming to a halt in front of a startled Pepper Potts. 

Both men turned to her with twin apologetic smiles on their faces. Pepper let out a huff that was on the surface annoyed but the twitch at the corners of lips gave away her concealed amusement. 

“What can we do for you Pep?” Tony called across the room, moving to stand in front of a table littered with broken glass from a smashed bottle. Pepper looked between the two of them, obviously that she was questioning what she could say in Steve’s presence. There was something else in her eyes as well; worry. “It’s okay” Tony said with a shrug, moving towards the two of them. “What’s wrong?” 

Pepper took a breath and pulled out a newspaper she’d previously had tucked under her armpit. She handed it out to Tony with a hard look on her face. “Obadiah is having you officially declared dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, school work and that. Hopefully in the next chapter we get a bit more traction, have the characters move about a bit. I open to all of your feedback and suggestions.  
> I was toying with the idea of having some kind of small magical creatures becoming Dum-E, U, and Butterfingers, helping out in the 'lab' but I felt that was too complicated.  
> Thank you so much again for all of your support! You guys are the best!  
> Also I updated the summary ^^ let me know what you guys think ^^


	9. Chapter 9

“What?!” Tony grabbed the paper away from Pepper, unfolding it. The page showed his uncle dressed in sombre black addressing a crowd. 

“I haven’t been able to confirm all the details from here” Pepper stated, slipping into business mode. “I have gathered what little I can from agents passing over the border. The broad strokes of the article appear to be true.” Tony scanned the article quickly whilst Steve hovered behind him, reading over his shoulder. “Two days ago, Stane call a press conference to declare your death” Pepper continued. “There’s some meaningless sentiment thrown into the mix but the essentials are that a funeral ceremony is to be held next week. After the ceremony the Stark estate is to be officially handed over to Stane.” Pepper concluded. 

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shoving the paper in Steve’s general direction. He walked aimlessly forwards before turning on his heel. “Why would he assume I’m dead? He must be sure if he’s going through with all this.” 

“Maybe someone told him you were” Pepper huffed. “The first attempt at your life may have failed, but it could have succeeded during another attempt and you haven’t been seen since that assassin turned up.”

“Wait. Someone tried to kill you?! Sent an assassin after you?!” Steve tore his eyes away from the paper to look at Tony. 

“It's nothing new, besides it failed” Tony brushed off. 

Steve frowned at him. “Don’t you think you should have mentioned to someone that there might be an assassin following you?” Steve reprimanded.

Tony rolled his eyes over to him. “Romanov would have no doubt told Fury about our visitor, it’s not an issue anymore.” 

“You can’t know that” Steve insisted. “They’re likely to try again. And who knows who else could get caught in the crossfire. What happens if you’re targeted again?!” 

“I won't be” Tony replied quickly. 

“Tony you cant-”

“Jarvis!” Tony cut across the captain. “I am currently under threat from the assassin that attacked the Manor?” he asked, narrow eyes holding Steves. 

_ “Not presently Sir. I have felt no aggression from that magical signature since the night of your departure”  _ J confirmed. 

“At present” Tony continued. “Are there any signs of anyone  _ else _ following me or lingering around with the intent to kill me?”

_ “No Sir. Not at this time.” _

“I can look after myself” Tony stated, still holding Steve’s gaze. Steve let out an annoyed breath. 

“Just because you’re fine now, doesn’t mean you might not need the help later."

"Help from who, from SHIELD?" Tony asked with a raised brow. "I'll pass thanks. Besides, it’s bold of you to assume that I would have put people I care about in danger. I would never have risked Pepper or Bruce or even Strange, not that anything could get in this house without him knowing. I’ve gotten by on my own up till this point and I’ll be just fine continuing to do so”. There was silence for a few seconds as the two stared at each other 

Pepper looked between the two men and tried not to sigh too loudly before she interrupted them. “Egos aside, Stane will have control of the Stark Estate unless we do something.”

Tony also sighed and folded his arms across his chest. “I guess I’ll have to pop back home for a little chat” Tony conceded with one hand now massaging his temples. 

Pepper bit the inside of her cheek. She knew going back would be dangerous for Tony but she was hard pressed to come up with another solution. “In that case. It may interest you to know that Stane along with various other individuals of interest will be at an auction house tomorrow. A state fundraiser for the military. Afterwards there’s to be a gathering in the town square where bigwigs can gloat about their finances.” Tony gave her a soft smile.

“Thank you Pep. Try to keep Fury out of my hair tomorrow for me”. 

“Alright” she looked far from pleased but she smiled nonetheless.

“You can’t be planning to actually go?” Steve asked, Following Tony with his eyes as the Artificer moved back into the room. “It’ll be dangerous.”

“Yes, thank you Captain Obvious” Tony retorted. “I’m well aware of the risks but I have to do this, even if only to flaunt my ego” he added in the hopes of taking some of the tension out of the room but Steve still seemed to have his hackles up.

“I’m going with you” Steve declared after a beat. 

“Hah, no you’re not.”

“Tony-”

“Actually, having some form of back up would be useful” Pepper piped up. Tony shifted his annoyed gaze from Pepper to Steve’s look of determination. 

“You know this has nothing to do with the rebellion right?” Tony challenged. 

“Yes.”

“You really want your first potential public appearance to be backing me up in a family feud?”

“If there’s a possibility of you getting attacked; yes.” 

Tony let out an annoyed huff. “The likelihood of Stane or the Enforcers doing anything in public is slim.”

“But not out of the realm of possibility” Steve countered. Tony had to concede to that. Somebody had already tried to kill him, who knew what was safe. “Besides” Steve continued, “I want to see for myself what has happened to the city.” Tony looked the super soldier over slowly. There was a stubbornness in his eyes that Tony reckoned even he couldn’t budge. 

“Fine” Tony grumbled. “Stand there” he said pointing to the centre of the room. “If you’re going we’d better finish these modifications.”

* * *

It was not a bad day for a gathering. The air was losing that winter bite. It was still cold but it was nothing a coat and scarf couldn’t keep at bay. Here and there shoots of green were starting to emerge breaking apart the grey brown dirt. It was nice… and it was a shame Tony couldn’t appreciate it. 

Getting over the segregation line had been as easy as it always had been, though moving through the forest now came with the feeling of cold blue eyes watching him… though Tony was sure he was imagining it. 

Steve had slipped into combat mode as soon as they had headed out. It was somewhat fascinating to watch. Given his hulking size Tony had been expecting his footfalls to be heavier but they barely made a sound as they passed through the undergrowth. 

They were both wearing nondescript heavy cloaks with large hoods. Hiding their identities wasn’t exactly paramount to what they wanted to accomplish but the longer they could go unnoticed they easier it would be for them. Jarvis was also keeping out of sight. One glance at the bird and everyone would know who was under the cloak. 

There wasn’t really a plan to speak of, much to Steve’s chagrin. It would completely boil down to how they were received. His gut told him though that his ‘uncle’ wasn’t going to pull him into his arms and weep with happiness because he was alive… Ross was no doubt going to attend also which could lead to things escalating quickly. Still, Tony had done nothing wrong, not that Ross wouldn’t find some kind of excuse to start something. Tony loathed to admit it, but Steve was probably right; things would probably get ugly but that didn’t mean Tony couldn’t hold his own. 

The way Steve had gotten under his skin the day before had been completely unexpected. The Captain hadn’t been wrong but Tony loathed help of any kind, from anyone. He’d long since decided he was the only person he could truly rely on and that had been proven to him over and over again. The evidence sat on his chest.

He also didn’t like to be doubted. His brain moved faster than most people could comprehend he shouldn’t have to explain his actions to anyone, regardless of how effective Steve’s puppy dog eyes were. Still he guessed Steve had a right to be concerned with the safety of the people living on the magic side of the border, and another assassin  _ could  _ have been sent after him… but he wasn’t going to admit that to Steve. Puppy dog eyes be damned. 

Under the cloak Steve was decked out in his newly modified outfit, now complete with a sturdy pair of dark red boots and his shield resting on his back. One look at the Soldier should be enough to prove who he was, any doubt would be taken care of by the shield. And what a sight he made. Tony had been giddy when he finished the clothing but the pride he felt for the creations was a grain of sand compared to the avalanche of actually seeing the Captain in the clothing. Tony had started to think he'd done his job a little too well. The clothing hugged Steve's body perfectly; a word which might as well be synonymous with  _ distractingly.  _ Seeing Steve decked out had sent Tony's mind soaring to inappropriate places and the accompanying ecstatic grin on the Captain's face had all but given him a heart attack. 

Being a self proclaimed master of self-deprecating comments, Tony would like to have said he was just leering over Steve, because boy was that an easy feat, but it wasn't true. 

At first he thought his enamourment with Steve was second hand. Shoved down his throat from Howard, from Peggy and the last of the Howlies, from his schooling and the kingdoms history... but Steve wasn't the man so many of the history books said he was, he was more. And he was broken, understandably so. Tony had been able to tell pretty much straight away, he was well versed in the art of fake smiles and hidden pain, though Tony's plight could barely hold a candle to the Captain's. 

It wasn't that he was trying to fix him either like one of his projects, because people couldn't be fixed the same way objects could. Bad experiences, teadgeic experiences, never really vanished, they stained you forever even if you managed to move past them. Saving the handful people from the Enforcers wasn't enough, their lives were now uprooted, stained with the horror of what had happened to them despite Tony's aid… 

He couldn't fix Steve but he had been swamped with a desire to at least give him small things to smile about. 

Someone else could probably do a better job of it but Steve obviously wasn't willing to seek anyone out and everyone the Captain seemed to come into contact with saw him as a historical icon first and very little else after that. So Steve was stuck with his mediocre attempts of comfort. 

Seeing Steve’s face light up during their little interactions was worth it though. He was inexplicably drawn to Steve and had a selfish desire to keep him around, if only to keep seeing those smiles. 

They made good time through the forest, the going easy now that winter was receding, and soon enough, they were walking onto the the city’s cobblestones. They got a few looks here and there which was unsurprising considering they looked like two individuals lurking around and up to no good. No one stopped or recognised them though. There was a stop that needed to be made before they headed to the town square. For now the “cream” of the city would still be in the auction house, which gave them plenty of time. 

Tony moved purposefully through the streets until he came a set of heavy set, expensive, double doors. The swinging sign above bore a golden painted gavel and cursive script which Steve glanced at but Tony ignored. Upon entering the building, Tony stormed past any mingling workers, surrounded now by the musty smelling air that always accompanied offices and headed towards a door set in the back of the lobby. As they moved several workers followed their movements, pushing away from their desks to call out to them. As Tony reached the door, a few security members moved forward to intercept them but Tony just brushed past them, bursting the door wide open. Steve also evaded the personnel fairly easily, eager to keep Tony in his sights. 

On the other side of the door, men sprung up from their workstations, filled with outrage, calling for the, somewhat lax, security. This room was smaller but more ornate, brass and gold lined expensive hardwoods, desks were larger, chairs were more plush, it was what was to be expected of the upper echelons of a company. 

“Good afternoon Gentlemen!” Tony announced loudly, throwing down his hood, paparazzi perfect smile in place. Gasps and whispers rippled through the room. 

“Stark!” one of the elder gentlemen exclaimed. “You’re-”

“I’ve been made aware of my untimely death. I must say it took me by surprise. I would have liked to have been around for the event.” Steve could see there was a hardness to Tony’s eyes but it was hard to pinpoint beneath the facade he was putting on. 

“How- how are you-?”

“Alive? Well considering I never actually died, surviving was an easy feat. Regardless,” Tony looked around the room, at each of the men in turn before continuing. “I decided a little visit was in order to set a few things straight and to lay down a threat.” He spoke the words with a blase smile, unfazed by the surge of outrage that mounted in the room. 

“This law firm has protected the Stark’s assets for generations! You can’t come in here and-” 

“Might I remind you, I’m the customer here, and I have to say I am extremely displeased by the level of service you have provided” Tony still had that same smile on his face but his words were clear and measured. “I’m aware myself and the firm have had… a difference of opinions concerning a few matters recently, but as far as I am aware, I still have the last word.”

The elder gentlemen, though clearly displeased, spoke again. “Of course Mr Stark, but we have an obligation to offer our clients the best legal and financial advice we can-”

“I’m not here to discuss our previous disagreements, I’m here to threaten you” Tony repeated. “As far as I’m aware, in cases of substatianal inheritance, in the event of an inheritor passing away, it is the duty of the body in control of the inheritance to launch their own investigation into the circumstances of their death to avoid false claims and cases of fraud. Now I don’t need to ask whether or not you followed this through, though I am curious whether it was laziness or convenience that aided your negligence…”

“Mr Stark! You cannot come in here and-”

“I have to say though it doesn’t matter” Tony continued, slightly raising his voice. “You’ve shown me your failings quite clearly and it will be well within my rights, after my 25th birthday, which I will live to mind you, to remove your firm from having anything to do with the Stark estate.” An uproar of voices followed the statement and Tony waited patiently for them to settle. “Are we understanding the threat now?” Tony said simply, a coy smile playing on his lips and try as he might, Steve couldn’t help but smile also. 

“Mr Stark rash decisions are easily regrettable. No other firm would be as well equipped to handle the Stark finances.” A worker implored. 

“I’m not willing to discuss anything, especially not now, when there is a clear lack of loyalty here” Tony cut across anyone who tried to speak once more. “My statement stands, and I hope it gives you something to think about” Tony warned. “The next time my Uncle, or anyone else for that matter declares me deceased, you had better confirm the facts before shifting inheritances.” As Tony finished the room became quiet, eyes darting back and forth with unease, while Tony continued to smile. 

“Well then. I shall see myself out. Have a good day Gentlemen” Tony turned back around and motioned for Steve to follow him. Once they were outside once more, security now giving them a wide berth, Tony let out a subtle sigh. 

“Well that was a show” Steve muttered, highly amused. 

“They very clearly agree with Stane’s viewpoints and have been pushing for me to do the same. If I was out of the picture it would make things a lot easier for them” Tony explained sombrely. 

“And the threat?” 

“What matters most to them is keeping control of the Stark finances, that will outrank most everything else. With Stane no longer being a viable route, keeping hold of the finances will be paramount to them. Their loyalty is to money, and if I have, at least future control of that money, their loyalties lie with me for the time being. It should ensure something like this doesn’t happen again considering I’m not planning to return to the city for a while…” Tony deflated a little. In that moment, Tony was an open book, Steve could read Tony’s frustration and hate for these civil battles easily. 

“Well I can tell you one thing” Steve offered, waiting for a curious brow eye to turn towards him. “After watching you spin words like that, I can tell why Peter is so enamoured with you” Steve flashed a grin Tony’s way. 

Tony chuckled, a little dab of colour, staining the high points of his cheeks. “Flattery will get you everywhere Captain” he sent back with a wink.

* * *

The square was fairly crowded. Up on a raised stage the auction house master was commending the amounts “raised” for the military efforts. There seemed to be a mixed bag of responses to the speech, though none were overtly positive or negative, which Tony found interesting. The military presence was fairly large considering the goal of the event and it definitely aided in an imposing atmosphere. There were plenty of Enforcers present too, not surprising given that Ross was also up on the stage. 

There about ten or so individuals on the stage, all of whom Tony had met or smochzed with at some point or another, the biggest spenders, the most generous… what little that meant. 

Right there amongst the group was Obadiah Stane. He had a pleased smile on his face, it lacked the smugness Tony was used to, things were on the up for him. Well, that would be easily remedied.

Steve lingered behind him as they listened to the announcer drone on. On occasion other people would step forward to say a few words and a clock began to tick in Tony’s head, knowing it was only a matter of time before Stane would also speak. He had a rough idea of what he wanted to do and results could be catastrophic. Ideally he wouldn’t have anyone else here with him, getting dragged into his dramatics, but he had to admit having Steve with him calmed him some. As if reading his mind, he felt a hand come to rest on the small of his back and Tony lent into it. He didn’t know why staring at his “Uncle” made his anxiety flare, he knew he could out talk and showboat Stane. There was just something about the man’s contentment in the face of Tony’s supposed death that sat wrong with him.

Eventually the man himself stepped forward and Tony’s vision narrowed to just Stane. Even if the man himself had had nothing to do with the attempt on his life, Stane was certainly benefitting from it and had some form of contact with whoever  _ had _ sent the Winter soldier after him. He missed the first couple of sentences out of Stane’s mouth but they were no doubt innocuous pleasantries. 

“Today was an important day for the elite of the city to show their loyal support not only to our great city and the crown but also to you, the people, the lifeblood of this city!” The response from the crowd was somewhat lukewarm, pleasant enough but Stane’s words weren’t met with any kind of grandeur. Personally, Tony didn’t he’d ever heard more bullshit come out of Stane’s mouth given his hatred of the lower classes. 

“Shows of support are vital at this time of unrest. We can only move forward as a united unit, that is why today’s auction was so important. It brings me great comfort and relief to be able to do something positive at a time of such personal loss.” 

Tony bit the inside of his cheek a little, taking a small breath, irritated by the blase note of the words. The crowd around them began to mutter. If there was one thing that Tony had made clear before he disappeared, it was that he cared little for the military, the Enforcers in particular. At least people seemed to remember that. 

"The loss of my nephew has been a hard blow to many and it is a privilege to continue to preserve the Stark legacy in such charitable ways."

Tony felt himself bristle slightly at the words, letting his anger at the words get the better of him right now would not be optimal. 

"Rest assured, I will endeavour to pursue the Stark collaboration with the military that the family was celebrated for. It is what my late business partner and his beloved son would have striven for." 

Tony could tell that even Steve had had enough at this point, Tony definitely didn't want to hear anymore of the speech. 

He subtlety amplified his voice, a weak spell, just enough to be heard throughout the crowd and call out to Stane over the various onlookers. 

"That's funny. I don't remember ever saying I supported what our military is doing." Heads swivelled in his direction but Tony kept his eyes on Stane. The man's face shifted quickly from confusion to recognition and then resignation. Tony took the initiative and lowered his hood. Gasps and shouts flew through the crowd, his face well known enough for there to be no doubt as to his identity. Stane was staring at him with a grim expression settled onto his features. "You don't seem exactly thrilled at my supposed resurrection,  _ uncle… _ " Tony challenged. "I would have been nice to have been informed about my own death." 

"Ah, Tony!" Stane stumbled. "Of course I am glad to see you. We've been devastated" Stane added quickly to save face. 

"That seems evident" Tony said drily. "Remind me again how I met my end as I seem to be lacking the Information?" Tony pushed.

Stane's face flashed a glare for a moment before settling back into his composed public guise. "We were told your coach had been attacked on the road." Stane was clearly uncomfortable with having this conversation so publicly, all across the square people were talking, murmuring back and forth to one another, and putting Stane on the spot was the point of all this. 

"Considering you know I never take coaches  _ anywhere _ you must have thought that a little odd right? I assume you did everything in your power to find out what happened to your  _ beloved _ nephew. The coach wreckage must have been quite the sight." As he stared down Stane he could see every fibre of the man tense with anger, he could practically hear a growl leave him, only contained by their current public situation. 

"Oh it was" Stane replied flatly, irritation laced through his voice now.

"Stark" another annoying familiar voice called out. "Can you do nothing without causing a scene! " the voice was accompanied by heavy stomping boots as they came to stand by Stane. 

"Ross, I would like to say it's a pleasure but I'd be lying. I see your just as thrilled about my living state as my uncle." Behind him, he heard Steve make a sound of recognition and as much as Tony want to question him, now was not the time. 

"I warned you Stark" Ross replied lowly. "Cease this display so we can regain some semblance of civility!" he warned. 

"That's interesting" Tony replied lightly. "There's been a distinct lack of civil conduct recently, wouldn't you say" Tony addressed the crowd as he spoke. "Particularly from the military. Threatening and killing innocent civilians is far from civil in my books" Tony moved his eyes back to Ross who looked positively livid. 

"Stark I suggest you leave the square now" Ross warned again. 

"Apparently my life is in danger. I wouldn't want to die  _ again _ on my way out". Tony feigned. 

"Then we'll escort you home" Ross hissed through his teeth. 

"Oh I'm not going home." Tony said casually. "Why go back to a place where I'm constantly under threat of being killed for just existing?" The square was quiet for a moment before puzzle pieces slotted into place and the square erupted into noise. 

"Tony… you..?" Stane's shocked voice seemed to rise above the rest and Tony could tell the shock was genuine before it was replaced with anger. "All this time? How?!" there was something else in his voice that Tony couldn't quiet place, like he had been denied his winning lottery ticket. Tony ignored it though, choosing instead to raise a hand and let a fire flare and crackle between his fingers. People instinctively moved away from him at the display. 

If anything Ross looked even angrier and jabbed a finger in his direction. "Enforcers arrest him!" he yelled, triumph laced into his voice.

"For what?" Tony yelled calmly as he noted the men moving through the crowd towards him. "The practice of magic is not and has never been illegal in this kingdom" Tony stated to the crowd. "Whatever it is that you are doing with the people you're kidnapping Ross, is more than a little bit suspicious." Tony extinguished the flame as he took a head count of the Enforcers and subtly tensed for a fight. 

Ross just grinned at him, finally grabbing his chance to bring Tony down. 

The Enforcers moved quickly through the crowd with little regard for who they shoved out of the way to get to him. The first to reach him were three men who faced him head on. Their expressions were stern and resigned and Tony had the brief thought that these men were just as much pawns in all of this as anyone else. 

Immediately and lasso was thrown in his direction. It sparkled with purple energy as it whipped through the air. Tony recognised the object immediately as one of his father's creations, made to nullify the magic of whoever was caught in it. Tony deflected it easily as well as another that was aimed in his direction. 

More men made their way towards the rapidly widening clearing as people ran from the sight of combat. Weapons from several sides flew at him. As he raised both hands to redirect them once more two things happened at once. 

Jarvis, who had been invisible up until this point. Reappeared in a burst of flame, beating his wings, forcing back the offending weapons. 

At the same time, Steve jumped to Tony's side, shield raised high. A modified bloas clanged off the shield, sending it straight back to the thrower who became tangled in it. For a brief moment a shimmering slightly blue radius could be seen stretching around the shield for several feet, hinting at how far the shields protective shield actually stretched. 

Shocked silence filled the square, Enforcers and civilians alike standing in awe of the symbol they all knew. 

Steve drew up to his full height, throwing down his hood and shedding the cloak all together, standing for all to see in his battle attire. 

He took a deliberate look around square, eyes finally landing on Ross and Stane who starred on in angry disbelief. 

"When I bid this world goodbye" he announced firmly. "I left it safe in the knowledge it was safe from some of the evils of man. When fate let me open my eyes once more, I was beyond sickened to find other evils had trickled into the kingdom I fought to protect." 

Ross scrambled down the stage, haphazardly shoving bystanders out of the way to get to the clearing where the two men and the flaming bird still stood in defensive positions. 

"Captain Rogers" Ross gaped. "We'd heard rumours of your return. Whatever lies this one" he pointed to Tony "and the so called resistance has fed you, I assure we are only working to better the kingdom." Ross put his most pleasant face on and Tony nearly gagged. "You fought for this kingdom before. You could so once again" Ross offered. Tony rolled his eyes while Steve's frown deepened. 

"One of the first people I met,  _ General,  _ when I awoke was a child whose family had been ripped apart and killed by your  _ efforts.  _ I've watched as others have cried over the loss of loved ones, driven into hiding and exile all in the name of your  _ betterment _ . I want no part in anything so low as to cause such devastation to people." Steve threw back. 

Ross took the insult in his stride, continuing to smile." You know what they say about omelettes and eggs." He shrugged. "For the sake of progress, some sacrifices have to be made."

"Destroying people's lives is in no way an acceptable sacrifice for anything, let alone  _ progress."  _ Anger rippled off Steve at the mere thought and it took a monumental effort for Tony not to touch him in some way to calm him down. "I'd heard a couple of stories about you, Ross. I wasn't sure what to make of a man so full of hatred. Now, seeing you in the flesh, I'm filled with nothing but disgust."

Ross reacted with nothing more than amused acknowledgement. "Well if I can’t persuade you" he shrugged, he turned to his men, "Take them both down. Alive or dead, either is fine" Ross ordered calmly, moving back, out of the clearing. 

The men looked back and forth between one another uncertain before Ross snapped at them to get a move on. 

The Enforcers surrounded them, swords, ropes and spears drawn and pointing at them. “This your plan was it?” Steve muttered as he readied his shield. 

“Well you invited yourself to this shit show” Tony murmured back as he lowered his stance. People began running from the square, though no one on the stage moved. Tony flicked his eyes to his uncle who looked back furiously but strangely his look was tinged with disappointment. 

He was dragged back to the soldiers as another net was projected in his direction. Flames erupted from Jarvis before he could react, burning both through the rope and the magical enchantments, sending the cinders to the ground. That seemed to break the moment. The men rushed forward, lunging at them both. Weapons clattered uselessly against Steve’s shield whilst Tony and Jarvis had no trouble destroying or blocking the weapons sent their way. 

Clapping his hands together, a small spark of energy flared around Tony's hands and wrists, swirling around two metal bands that were settled there. In seconds the bands melted into a chromatic silver liquid that spread and coated his hands and lower arms under his sleeves. 

A solider thrust a spear towards him and rather than dodge it, Tony caught the iron head in his hand. He caught the eye of the soldier for a split second before sending an electrical down the spear, wood and all, hitting the soldier. He convulsed, dropping the weapon before collapsing himself. The next soldier wasted no time, coming at Tony with his sword drawn. Tony executed the same maneuver, the blades having no effect against his metal cover skin. A couple more electrical charges and a couple of more guards were down. 

A few of the spear bearing guards were trying in vain to strike Jarvis out of the sky. The bird stayed well of their reach, swooping down to claw at armour and skin with claws alight with glowing fire. Cries of pain followed each strike as hair and skin burned.

The new upgrades to Steve’s shield made his movements flow seamlessly into one another now that he didn’t have to keep track of the shield, knowing it would always come back to him. The metal circle ricocheted from one guard to another, sending them to the floor whilst Steve punched and kicked his way through the men that advanced on him. 

After a while Tony and Steve found themselves back to back as more men were rushing into the town square. Tony’s breathing was unsurprisingly heavier than Steves. “We need a way out of this” Steve said softly. 

“I think I can do that without getting anyone killed” Tony said as he scanned the area. More attacks were hurled their way and they separated once more. Ross was shouting orders, wanting the situation dealt with, though Tony paid him little mind as more soldiers advanced. He used his metal covered hands to block more spears and swords that were thrust at him, though a few of them found purchase on his skin making small patches of red blossom on his clothes. As he fought he could feel himself getting tired. He wasn’t a fighter and he had limited combat experience. Larger displays of magic would have been beneficial, but that could result in the deaths of the soldiers, which would definitely sully the resistance’s image. So he had to stick to this, blocking attacks, stunning them, knocking them out… there were too many of them though. As he fended off another blow to his head whilst dodging a blow from the side, a cracking sound rang out through the air as a whip lashed it’s way around Tony’s ankle. A tug sent him spiralling to the floor and blades followed his descent. One sliced across his cheek, another nicked him in the side but he managed to wriggle away from most of them. He sent a jet of fire past his feet making some of the men jump back but he managed to cut the whip. There were hands on his shoulders, hands grasping for his wrists, for his legs, more blades were aimed at him. The sunlight was blocked by bodies above him. He could hear Jarvis’ cries and a shout from Steve. Panic washed over him for a split second and he could feel his movements becoming restricted but an image of a man with long brunette hair and cold blue eyes flashed across his mind. In a copycat maneuver, Tony sent a pulse of energy out from himself. The soldiers were sent off their feet, pushed back several feet. 

Tony scrambled into a standing position, taking stock of the situation. Steve was also surrounded but was doing a better job of fending the men off. Jarvis was also keeping out of harm's way. 

A shout from across the way drew Tony’s attention and he watched in horror as a storm of arrows were rained down on them, and the guards attacking them. 

In a split second decision, Tony threw up a barrier around the fallen soldiers around him. The arrows made blue ripples in the air as they bounced off the invisible shield. He watched as Jarvis became a ball of flame, the arrows having no effect as the all but disintegrated as they got too close. Steve wasn’t fairing as well. 

He had shoved as many of the soldiers behind him as he could, allowing the shield and its’ magical barrier to protect them. 

As realisation dawned on some the soldiers, they crowded in behind Steve and Tony as another torrent of arrows was let loose into the sky. They were all deflected again with little effort but a flurry of movement dragged Tony’s attention back over to Steve. Two of the men were trying to grapple him from behind, arms round his neck with swords trying to penetrate the clothing Tony had weaved. The blade came down towards the back of Steve’s head and without thinking, Tony redirected his magic, the two men were hit with glowing balls of energy the flew from Tony metal hand. They hit the ground with groans as more arrows fell around them all. 

The distraction had been enough to weaken Tony’s barrier a little, some of the arrows finding their way through and with a loud THUD, one found its home in Tony’s shoulder, just below his clavicle. 

Tony fell to a knee, letting out a groan of pain. He could hear more voices. Jarvis screeched loudly, flying towards the archers. Raining fire down on them, forcing them to scatter. Ross’ momentary shout of triumph morphed into anger, redirecting his efforts of Jarvis. 

He could hear Steve’s voice through the pain as well but couldn’t hear the words. Moving automatically, he brought his left hand and grabbed the length of the arrow sticking out of his flesh. A muttered spell dissolved the wood under his fingers, the tail end of the arrow clattering to the ground so now only a few inches of the shaft stuck out from his skin. 

Strong hand landed on his uninjured shoulder. Immediately Tony went to shove them off but stopped at the familiar voice saying his name. Steve’s blue eyes were full of worry as they flicked from his wounded shoulder to his face. 

“I’m fine” Tony grumbled as he made a move to stand up. His right arm was practically useless with every movement sending a zing of pain down his arm right down to his finger tips, he managed to get to his feet though, gauging what he could from the situation. The men that had been around Steve were on the ground groaning, Steve had no doubt knocked them out in order to get over to him. 

“No you’re not” Steve growled back. “This was a stupid idea from the start, now you’ve got an arrow sticking out of you” there was anger in Steve’s eyes, but Tony didn’t have the energy to match it. 

“Yeah well at least it’ll be an interesting story some day” Steve’s frown deepened considerably, obviously wanting to argue but well aware of the situation they were in. “Let's get out of here” Tony grumbled. “J!” he yelled out with what strength he had, doubling down on it but mentally calling Jarvis back to him. His companion flew back to him but chose to land on Steve’s shoulder. Steve flinched but continued to support Tony by wrapping an arm around his waist. “Lend some fire buddy” Tony said softly. 

Jarvis screeched once more but from his break a jet of flames shot out towards Ross who gaped on. Tony could feel Steve tense at his side but he ignored it, using his good hand to mould the flames into a wall both pushing back the soldiers still up an obscuring them from view. He was careful to control the wall as he sent them higher and wider, making sure it touched nothing but the stone of the Square’s floor. The only guards around them now were on the ground, either out cold or staring on in horror. “Now we leave” Tony insisted “that should last long enough for us to get away. He bought his hand up to the wood sticking out of his shoulder and with a command the metal melted away from his hand and trickled down the wood until it hit his skin, both sealing the wound and putting pressure on it to stop the blood pouring from the puncture wound. 

“Let’s go” Steve agreed, somewhat thankful that the bird on his shoulder was no longer breathing fire. He tightened his hold on Tony, grabbed his discarded cloak from the ground and took off down the street. 

* * *

“Let me look at the wound” Steve insisted. 

They had lost anyone tailing them once they had gotten into the forest. Tony’s shoulder was throbbing with pain along with his elevated heart rate, making it difficult to think. He’d found a collapsed tree and had slumped down on it to rest, rolling his shoulder painfully to try to ease the tension in the muscles. 

“It’s fine” Tony grumbled. “We can sort it out when we get back.”

“It could be more serious than you think. You’ve already lost a lot of blood” Steve’s voice left no room for argument, and there was a significant amount of blood staining the shirt hidden underneath his cloak, Tony was happy to try though. 

“Honestly it’s fine. I just want to get back” Tony maintained, groaning and standing up once more. 

“You’re obviously in pain Tony, just let me look at it”.

“It’s fine” Tony ground out again. 

“These types of wounds can turn bad very quickly” Steve persisted. “If I see it I can at least check that it’s alright.”

“It is alright” Tony asserted. “Trust me”

“You have no medical experience, never been in a fight, how would you know?”

“You don’t know that.” Tony said sternly.

“What?” 

“You have no idea what I’ve experienced or what I’ve been through…”

“Tony, I didn’t mean-”

“It might come as a shock to you, but this is not the first time I’ve had to fight for my life and it’s not the first time I’ve been severely injured either. The wound is fine!” 

Steve was silent for a moment, just staring at him. Tony could tell there was a little guilt in his expression but it was overshadowed by the stubbornness to keep persisting. “Tony, I’m just trying to look out for you. You’re tired and hurt, let me check you over”. 

“No!” The one word was strong, firm and had a tinge of desperation at its edge. It made Steve pause before deflating. 

“Fine, but at least get it looked at when we get back.”

“Alight” Tony concurred, eyes dropping to the ground. They were silent for another moment before making their way back to the house of Strange. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. Between travel and exams, I haven't had a lot of time. I'm so thankful for all of you that are still supporting this story, you guys really are the best. You're absolutely wonderful and you make this story worth writing.  
> I completely suck at writing combat of any kind so I think with everything else it made me push this chapter back a bit. Still I hoped you liked it and let me know what you thought ^^  
> Micky


	10. Chapter 10

Strange was waiting for them when they reached the house. The door opened eerily on it’s own and the sorcerer stepped into the rectangle of light coming from the door frame. He huffed a sigh, crossing his arms and staring disapprovingly at the two men and Jarvis who was perched once again on Steve’s shoulder. 

He didn’t say anything as he stepped aside to let them into the house. They entered somewhat somber and quiet. Neither of them had spoken much on the journey through the forest. 

Once inside they shed their cloaks and stopped at the foot of the grand staircase. “Stark follow me” Strange demanded, turning to begin climbing the stairs. 

Tony made to argue for a second but thought better of it, not really having the energy for it and moved away from Steve, towards the stairs. Steve went to follow them also but as his foot hit the first step Strange turned back to them. 

“Captain, there is food waiting in the kitchen, you must be hungry after the events of this afternoon”. Steve looked from the sorcerer to Tony who didn’t even turn to look at him, paused in his climbing of the stairs. 

Reading the air Steve grumbled out a “fine” not needing to be told when he wasn’t wanted and stomped his way to the kitchen with Jarvis still on his shoulder. Once he disappeared Tony let out a soft sigh, only to hear it echoed by Strange, though Strange’s was far more frustrated. The two men looked at each other for a moment before climbing the stairs once more. Tony wasn’t really paying attention to the climb, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and stamping down the guilt building in his chest. He only looked back once they reached the landing but when he looked down, he saw they had somehow climbed several stories of the house. Across from him was the large domed window and from the landing’s railing he could see more of the same railings both below and above him. He didn’t even have the energy to question the transition, though really given the weirdness of the house he shouldn’t be surprised.

Strange hadn’t paused his step and Tony made an effort to catch up to him again. He opened a door, disappearing inside and Tony didn’t hesitate to follow him. 

It was a bedroom of sorts, well more of an examination room really. Shelves stacked with vials and potions lined one of the walls while books and equipment filled shelves of another. There were a few tables and chairs and a simple bed, raised higher than most would have any need to be. 

Bruce was sitting at the table, potion equipment in front of him. Upon seeing Tony and the blood covering his front, he frowned, immediately standing. 

“Sit over there” Strange ordered, pointing to the bed. Tony did as he was told and slumped down on the edge of the bed.

“Do I even want to ask?” Bruce was now standing by him with his arms folded. 

“Just got into a spot of bother” Tony replied giving Bruce a smile. 

Bruce gave a huff but  rather than berate him, which Tony was glad for, he asked. “Is that the only injury?” His eyes daring him to lie. 

“Just a few cuts” Tony admitted, going to shrug his shoulders but instead wincing with pain. Bruce seemed to soften a little. 

“What are we going to do with you Tony?” Bruce sighed. 

“Well I didn’t really expect things to go south so quickly” Tony tried weakly. 

“You should have gone with back up” Bruce scolded, Tony went to speak but Bruce got there first “And don’t think I’m happy with Rogers either. What if the whole city had descended on you? Or if you were captured? Or if you were-” Bruce deflated. “I don’t know why I’m bothering. Nothing would have changed your mind right?”

Tony gave him an apologetic smile. “Well I would have preferred to go alone…” Bruce let out another sigh. 

“Let’s at least get you cleaned up.” He offered and Tony nodded in agreement. Strange came up to stand by Tony, sleeves rolled up. 

“Do you need help taking off the shirt?” Tony thought about declining but a pulse of pain from his shoulder told him otherwise and he nodded. Bruce moved to help him out of the shirt. Being careful around the arrow shaft, Tony wincing as they went. 

Once Tony was bare chested Strange ordered “Drop it”. Tony rolled his eyes but waved a hand. The center of his chest shimmered for a moment, an illusion disappearing to reveal a large blue gem that was embedded into his chest. Soft blue light shone from within the gem, lighting up the area around it while glowing veins in the same blue branched away from the gem, under Tony’s skin for a few inches in all directions before disappearing. Strange stared at the gem for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. 

“It wasn’t damaged then.”

“I’m going to take that as an insult” Tony deadpanned. 

“Of course I forgot… everything the great Tony Stark creates withstands the test of time right?” Strange parroted dryly.

“Are you going to help me or mock me?” Tony grumbled as he lifted his good hand. The shining silver metal melted away from the wound and once again became a simple band of metal around his wrist. 

Bruce hissed in sympathy as he examined the wound. “I guess it could have been worse. At least they weren’t using enchanted arrows…”

“Thank the heavens for small mercies” Tony replied but there was little humor in his voice. 

“You’re lucky I was trained in medicine Stark” Strange said as he approached with gloved hands.

“Yeah yeah. I’m grateful. Now can we just get this thing out of my arm?”

* * *

True to his word, Strange had left plenty of food on the kitchen table. It all looked appealing enough, and Steve was indeed hungry but he struggled to find the will to eat. Still he slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs, debating whether or not he should just leave and head back to the compound. He definitely wouldn’t feel any better there but the feeling of rejection crawling under his skin made staying feel just as unappealing. 

He didn’t get it. He thought that Tony trusted him, on some level at least. Trusted him enough to at least look him over? He had trusted him enough to take him with him, that had to count for something right? Steve let out a sigh as he set down his shield and discarded his gloves. 

Something almost feral had taken over him when he had seen Tony surrounded by bodies, then again when he’d been shot by that arrow. True Tony had held his own in both circumstances but still, none of that might have happened if they had gone in there with a proper plan, or if they hadn’t gone at all. It was just money, it couldn’t really have been that big of a deal right? He should have tried harder to stop Tony from going in the first place. All things considered though, Tony would probably have gone regardless. 

Despite how mad he was though, he kept thinking about the Artificer upstairs in pain. He should have done more. He’d gone with him to protect Tony hadn't he, and he’d failed. Failed because Tony had taken the initiative to try to protect  _ him. _ It had been his first fight since he’d woken up, and it had been awful. At least they had gotten away. Steve didn’t want to admit it but without Tony they might not have made it out. 

The Artificer had taken the arrow better than Steve could have ever imagined for a civilian. People died from arrow wounds or were at least incapacitated by them. If anything, and it made Steve sick to think of it, Tony had coped with the pain like someone accustomed to it. He thought back to that moment in the woods. Tony had said that it hadn’t been his first time injured and stubbornness be damned, Steve believed him. But he was a noble wasn’t he? What could have happened to allow Tony to just “cope” with an arrow sticking out of him? To just walk home like that. Not once had he ever complained about the pain… perhaps Steve had underestimated him. Even so, Tony should have let him check the wound, just in case. Then to be brushed off so casually… it shouldn’t hurt as much as it did, He hadn’t known Tony for long and he expected nothing from Strange… but he’d thought he and Tony were friends. 

The one saving grace to all of this was Steve’s glimpse into the future. Well, the present… Stories told from one side could often be biased and misconstrued, not that he believed Peter or the families he had come across had been lying, but it had still been beneficial to see the Enforcers and Ross for himself. Now he had no doubt that what they were doing was wrong but he couldn’t understand their motives yet. From what he had gathered, no one really did. There was talk about wiping out magic users but it didn’t seem like that was all of it. Tony definitely seemed to have his suspicions. Fury probably did, though he seemed better at hiding it. Something about it was off. Magic would never be eradicated, it was just part of the earth. Sometimes magic users had children who couldn’t use magic and sometimes non magic users had children who could… So what was the end game here? Steve didn’t like it and he guessed he would like it even less when he finally figured it out. 

“Your vitals indicate that you are in need of nutrition Captain” Steve was pulled from his thoughts by the ever calm voice of Jarvis. “Perhaps you should consider eating” Steve looked at the bird, who looked blankly back at him. 

“Yeah you’re probably right” Steve sighed and reached towards the food that had been laid out. “Thanks”

“There is no need” The bird replied. “Part of my protocols including reminding Sir that he needs to eat on a somewhat regular basis”. The bird was perched on the back of a chair but he jumped onto the table, in front of a bowl of seeds. His head twitched this way and that as he inspected them. 

“What are your protocols?” Steve asked as he watched the bird in fascination. If it weren’t for the voice that floated on the air or the time Steve had spent with Jarvis Steve would have just thought him an exotic bird. 

“My alpha protocols dictate the provisions of aid and protection for Tony Stark and all that that entails” the bird stated before choosing a seed from the bowl and downing it.

“Why though?” Steve asked before he could help himself. “Does Tony have you under some sort of contract?”

“Tony Stark is simultaneously my saviour and creator” Steve wasn’t sure but the voice almost sounded offended. “The only bonds holding me to my master are the ones I chose for myself.” The bird fluffed up its feathers for a second, holding Steve’s gaze before going back to the seed bowl. 

“So you feel like you’re indebted to him?” Steve guessed, not sure of what to make of the information. 

“Yes, to an extent. I am not by his side by force and while my current nature cannot be changed, staying with him is the best route for us both to understand and analyse it.”

“But if Tony created you, wouldn’t he know what you are?” Steve was somewhat lost. 

“Sir may be my creator, the reason for my current state, but my existence came not by his hand and the fault lies far away from his shoulders.”

“I don’t understand,” Steve said with a small huff. 

“Sir happened upon a problem in need of being fixed, so that is what he did. I was the result of that.” 

Steve watched the bird as it ate a few more seeds. “So you were one thing then Tony  _ fixed  _ you and now you’re a bird?” Steve tried. 

“Sir would not like me to divulge the details but in essence, yes. Tony Stark saved the being I call myself in the only way he could and I have remained by his side ever since…” Steve watched the bird in wonder. He had so many more questions, not limited to; why did the bird sound like Edwin Jarvis? Was he Jarvis? What had the bird been before… 

He tried for another question. “You said the ‘fault’ lied away from Tony… Who does it lie with then?” Steve had no idea what the bird meant by ‘fault’ but still, he wanted to know. 

Jarvis stared at him from across the table. His black eyes gave nothing away, though Steve had never known birds, even exotic ones to be all that expressive. Silence passed between them. After a while Jarvis tilted his head as he studied Steve and Steve got the impression that Jarvis wasn’t going to answer. He pulled a plate towards himself, placing food upon it. 

“Howard Stark.” 

Steve snapped his head up to Jarvis once more. “Howard Stark is to blame for my existence. I believe Sir would allow me to share that knowledge with you.”

“Howard?” Steve repeated. “How?”

“I’m afraid, at present, I cannot answer that. You would have to ask Sir directly.” 

“Why can't  _ you _ answer?” Steve said with a frown. “You said you followed Tony by choice.”

“I do. But the details you are enquiring after are ones that Sir has asked me not to share with others. I also believe the subject to be delicate in nature with emotional aspects that Sir would not be comfortable sharing openly.” 

Steve grumbled a bit at that. “I guess I’ll just be left hanging then” he said somewhat bitterly, pushing his untouched food around his plate.

“On the contrary, Sir has already indicated an interest in sharing those details with you in the future.” 

Steve’s mind flashed back to the night he met Tony. “I think that was just a passing thing” Steve sighed. 

“I do not believe that to be true” the bird had stopped pecking at the seeds and was looking at Steve again. “Sir’s social circle is considerably smaller than most for his age. Or at least for those he would call friends. I believe if you asked him for the details, he would give them to you despite the emotional pain he might experience.”

Steve held Jarvis’ eyes. “I don’t think Tony thinks of me as one of his ‘inner circle’”. 

“I would disagree” Jarvis retorted somewhat quickly. “Or are you perhaps referring to Sir’s dismissal of your offered medical care this afternoon?”

“Well he seems happy enough to let Strange look him over” Steve muttered back, even he could tell he was starting to sound like a jealous child. 

“I can assure you his dismissal has nothing to do with how much he trusts you and everything to do with his own insecurities?” 

“Insecurities?” Tony? Tony seemed to exude confidence, hell, he’d been practically naked the first time they met… “What insecurities?”

“That is something you would have to discuss with him” Jarvis advised and went back to pecking at the bowl of seeds. Steve watched him for another moment but Jarvis didn’t look back at him again. Steve reached for his plate again, this time actually eating. As soon as he did he could feel how hungry he was and began piling up his plate with more food. As he ate his eyes flicked briefly to Jarvis every now and then but the bird appeared to have interests solely in his food. Steve followed suit, feeling wrung out but better than he had when he’d entered the house. 

* * *

Tony couldn’t remember if he’d been dreaming or not. Probably thanks to whatever draft Bruce had given him for the pain. Speaking of, his shoulder only ached dully for now, the wound wrapped under bandages. The extraction hadn’t been difficult, just painful which was fine with Tony. It would heal over time and probably scar but oh well. 

He groaned softly as he sat up. He was in his bed in Strange’s house, though he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there. He couldn’t tell what time it was either, but it was dark. The fireplace had burnt out, so he guessed it was late. 

He climbed out of the bed, stretching slightly as he went. He was hungry, not surprising considering he’d barely eaten all day. Knowing Strange he’d probably left something out for him. 

He opted to throw on a dressing gown rather than get changed, didn’t bother with a candle and padded out of the room. 

The house was silent with barely any lights on as he made his way towards the stairs. As he went to pass by the door of his workshop he paused. The door was ever so slightly ajar with a dim light coming from within. 

He could hear no sound from inside however. Curious, Tony pushed on the door, letting it swing open slowly. The creak that it made was practically deafening in the silence. Still no noise came from within so Tony wandered in. 

The light was coming from the fireplace he barely used. The fire was burning low and gentle, soft crackling noises filling the air. It made the room feel warmer than usual. A soft noise directed him to Jarvis, resting on his bird stand, not really asleep but not really “online” either. Tony smiled softly at him as he watched the firelight bounce of his feathers. A wave of both gratitude and guilt washed over him as he watched him. Jarvis would argue that he wasn't capable of the same level of interaction or emotion as a human but Tony didn’t believe that and despite the whole ‘master servant’ thing they had going on, Tony could never think of Jarvis as any less than a friend. 

“Tony?” came a sleepy voice from the couch. 

Tony turned his head towards the voice in time to see Steve sitting up sleepily on the couch. Tony walked over to him, keeping his footfalls light. “Steve, what are you still doing here?” he asked softly. 

“I wanted to wait for you to wake up,” Steve said, rubbing at his eyes. “Are you okay?”

Despite himself, Tony smiled at the display and headed over to the couch. He tapped Steve on the arm to get him to scoot over before plopping down beside him. “I’m okay,” he said in the same soft voice. “How about you?”

“I’m fine,” Steve replied in the same quiet tone. They sat there for a moment, the air tenser than it had ever been between them. In the end Tony let out a sigh. 

“You know, I didn’t want you to come with me today…” He said softly. “I didn’t want anyone to…” he took a breath. “But I was glad you were there in the end” Tony admitted. 

“You sure didn’t act like it” Steve muttered. 

Tony made an effort to keep his hackles down. “I don’t take well to new people getting too close” Tony tried. “Most people only want to know me to get something from me…”

“You think I don’t know how that feels?” Steve’s tone was still somewhat bitter. 

“I guess you do” Tony let out an amused huff. “Look, I’m sorry, I just… panicked…” Tony said quietly. 

Steve stayed silent for a moment. “You know I wouldn’t hurt you right?”

“It’s not that. It’s… It’s like a fear of being exposed..?” Tony explained, his voice uncertain. 

“I didn’t think you’d be that uncomfortable with me seeing your body, given the way we met.” Steve let out a small chuckle. 

“I didn’t mean like that” Tony chuckled back, nudging Steve with his shoulder playfully. “More like my mind, my secrets…”

“You must think pretty highly of me to think I’d be able to tell any of that from looking at a wound” Steve teased. Tony sent him another small smile before continuing. 

“I just didn’t want you to see me in a way you hadn’t before…”

“There’s no shame in being hurt” Steve said softly. 

“I know” Tony sighed. “But a weakness is something that can be used against you, even a momentary one… I just forgot who I was with.”

Steve studied Tony’s profile in the dim light for a moment before speaking. “I didn’t think you were weak”. The words made Tony glance at him again. “If anything I thought, well think, the opposite.” Tony looked at him a moment longer. 

“Thanks,” the Artificer said quietly. It was too dark to see but Steve would have liked to have guessed the other man was blushing slightly. “You know” Tony continued, changing the subject. “If you’re gonna start sleeping here, you should just ask Strange for a room.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were alright” Steve said with a soft smile. 

“Suit yourself, but as I said I’m fine, Bruce gave me something for the pain so it won't bother me too much”.

“They didn’t heal the wound?”

Tony gave Steve an almost sad smile. “Sometimes I don’t react well to healing magics, so they just patched me up and sent me to bed” he explained softly. Questions were on the tip of Steve’s tongue, because that was something he had  _ never _ heard of before, but he decided to leave it. “I missed dinner though so I’m somewhat peckish” Tony continued with a grin. 

“Strange put some food away for you” Steve smiled back in kind. 

“Great!” Tony declared as he stood up from the couch, swivelling round to face Steve. “How do you feel about a midnight snack?” He offered. 

Steve smiled back at the smaller man, his earlier anger had all but melted away. “I could eat” he said, rising from the couch also. 

“Then let's go Captain!”

* * *

The cold was doing nothing for Tony’s shoulder. Whatever concoction Bruce had given him had taken away most of the pain but it ached something awful. Still he’d said he would be here and so here he was. He’d lied to Steve, saying he was going to meet up with Pepper. Better hope that didn’t come back to bite him in the butt. The good ol’ Captain had stayed at Strange’s house past breakfast and while Tony was appreciative, it made slipping out a little difficult. 

He and Jarvis came upon the same forest clearing as usual after another few minutes. As always the trees gave no indication as to what could be hiding within them. Tony set down a basket he’d been carrying and lent back against a tree to wait for their brainwashed assassin. 

He’d had another nap after eating. He hadn’t meant to, he’d just sort of fallen asleep against Steve’s shoulder when they had returned to the workshop. Tony smiled. Steve was right there beside him still when he’d awoken a few hours later, the workshop still as dark as before. He’d moved Tony slightly so he’d be more comfortable so Tony had awoken to the sight of Steve quietly sketching in his sketchbook, with the other arm curled loosely around Tony protectively. It had been a nice way to wake up. Nicer than any other morning he could remember. Despite the day before there was no tension between them either so that was nice. 

There had been a rather angry message from Rhodey though on one of the communication devices asking what the hell he was playing at. He’d sent back a message to try to soothe his Honey Bear but Tony reckoned he was one more incident away from Rhodey stomping his way across the border to find him. 

He’d also gotten a somewhat frightened message from Louise. Tony had all but kicked himself in the head for that. 

As soon as they had left the square, he’d had Jarvis lock down the Manor. Mainly to piss Obie off seeing as he wouldn’t be able to get back in there, but it was all but guaranteed that the Enforcers would raid the building once they learned that Tony could use magic. Which is exactly what had happened. Except that they couldn’t get in, and they wouldn’t. Howard had fortified the Manor before his death and Tony had strengthened the magic as he went as well. Nothing was getting into that building without his permission. The staff were in a rather dangerous position. He’d informed Louise to stay inside the Manor. They weren’t under obligation to work whilst there, the house would magically stay stocked with food and the staff were free to do what they wanted as long as they avoided certain areas in the house. They were also free to go if they wanted but Tony told them to be careful in case the Enforcers decided to “question” them. He also sent them a rather long apology. It was just another thing to make him feel shit about. Still, they and the Manor were safe and that was all that really mattered. 

Tony was very much lost in thought when the Winter Soldier eventually appeared. He went to greet him, standing up from the tree but he didn’t have the time to get the words out. Winter came storming across the clearing towards him, reaching out and grabbing for him. Tony let out a yell, fighting against the arm that yanked him forward as his pulse skyrocketed. He thought they were over the violence segment of their relationship, apparently, he had been wrong. 

The other hand also grabbed him, holding him still. Tony tried again, but couldn’t break the assassins grasp, a brief thought, demanded to know where Jarvis was but he got nothing in response. Then there was a tug on his shirt, a few of the buttons on his shirt flying open. Confusion settled into Tony's mind and he stopped fighting to ask what the hell Winter was doing only to find he didn’t have to ask. 

The Winter Soldier had forced open the top of his shirt and was studying his bandage wrapped shoulder. 

A moment of silence passed between the two men as Tony watched the Soldier and the Soldier inspected his wound. Eventually the Soldier let out a satisfied grunt and let Tony go but didn’t move back from him. 

“What the hell was that about?” Tony demanded, not bothering to fix his shirt. In answer the assassin moved again, bringing up his metal hand. Tony almost flinched but managed to hold still, as the hand came up to his face. He drew a sharp breath as the cold fingers touched his cheek. Slowly, ever so slowly, a cold metal thumb traced it’s way across Tony’s cheek. It took a moment, but the sting made him realise that Winter was tracing the cut on his cheek. Tony’s eyes widened slightly as he continued to stare at the assassin in front of him. 

“It would appear…” Jarvis’ voice came out of nowhere and startled the Artificer, making him jump. “... that the Winter Soldier was present near the square yesterday” the bird informed him. 

“You were following us?” Tony asked the man with a hand still on his cheek. The Soldier nodded. The word ‘ _ why’ _ was on the tip of Tony’s tongue but it was futile considering the other couldn’t answer him. The ice blue eyes were intense as they looked down on Tony but they were far from hostile, they were laced with concern. 

Tony swallowed and slowly brought up his hand to rest on Winters metal wrist. “I’m okay you know?” he tried. Those eyes found his again and it took everything not to look away. “I got a little beat up, but I’m fine.” The Soldier frowned slightly as he continued to stare at him. “I mean it, it barely even hurts at the moment”. It wasn’t a lie and his tone must have been somewhat convincing because Winter let out a small grunt and finally stepped back from him, folding his arms across his chest. 

With room now to breathe and the possibility of a threat gone, heat flooded Tony's face. He could still feel the weight of phantom metal fingers on his cheek. Tony swallowed again, regaining his composure. That had come from nowhere. His face stayed heated as he fixed his clothing, well aware that Winter was still right in front of him, eyes following his movements. He tried not to think of the implications; the bizarre idea that a man who had tried to kill him would now be showing him affection… he needed Tony…  _ well _ Jarvis, but all the same… If Tony was gone, so was Winters ticket to breaking his mind control. 

When he looked back up, however, those eyes were soft. There was still concern settled firmly in the ice blue, draining away the image of a well trained killer. It was starling in a way that was altogether silent. There were very few people that could still Tony’s runaway mouth but he’d never known anyone who could do it with just a look. It was uncomfortable but almost assuring at the same time. Tony couldn’t fathom the ‘why’ to it but It was clear, at least in that moment that Winter was genuinely worried about him.

“Shall we get on?” Tony asked, not wanting to think for the moment. Too many things had happened in a short space of time and he didn’t want to risk any cracks in his facade appearing from pondering his “uncle”, Ross, his injury, Steve, the Winter Soldier and the jumble they all were making in his sleep deprived head. 

The Winter Soldier studied him for a beat longer before grunting an affirmative with an accompanying nod. 

“Right then” he reached down to the basket and pulled out a blanket that by all rights was too big to fit in it. He used magic to float it to the floor, perfectly spread out over the cold ground. Winter watched it all with a slightly raised eyebrow. 

“What?” Toy questioned when he caught sight of the look. “I told you last time I was gonna bring a blanket”. To his surprise, Winter’s lips quirked into an amused smile. Tony watched, fascinated as the assassin moved the short distance and settled himself down on the blanket. Shaking his head Tony also took a seat opposite Winter. Jarvis appeared on his good shoulder, ready to begin as well. 

Tony offered the assassin his hand and Winter didn’t hesitate to take it. After taking a breath, Tony took one more look at those pale eyes before beginning to recite the words that would plunge him into the Winter Soldier’s mind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit short than the others and decisively less happened in this one, though I suppose a reprieve after a fight isn't the worst thing. Still, I hoped you are all still enjoying things. Your comments and support mean so much to me, it's easily the best thing about writing this story ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Target name: Anthony Edward Stark 

Threat level: Low (in need of revision)

Magic user: Unknown (in need of Revision) 

Known family: Maria Stark - Deceased, Howard Stark - Deceased, Paternal family - Deceased, Maternal family - Status Unknown. 

Client Mandated Mission Objectives: Dual contracts dictating the termination of Anthony Stark. Requirements - Task to be handled discreetly and quickly. 

Known intel on target: Insufficient 

  * Noble, Secluded, Eccentric. 
  * Talents - Unknown (in need of revision). 
  * Habits - Insufficient intel (in need of revision)



Affiliates: Insufficient Intel 

  * Obadiah Stane (in need of revision). 
  * Virginia Potts. 
  * New Intel - connections with the magical rebellion organisation. 
  * New Intel - Steven Grant Rogers. 
  * New Intel - Companion Creature AKA: Jarvis. 



Current Location: Northwestern forest region beyond government mandated segregation line. Current place of residence - Insufficient Intel (well fortified)

Mission Status: ………………

* * *

Someone was trying to find him. He could feel the questions, the demands, on the edge of his awareness. They were always there and they were familiar and for the first time, unwelcome. He remembered what he was supposed to do. Remembered how he was supposed to let them into his mind from afar so they could get status updates and determine his location. He remembered that in the not so distant past, he would let them in without a thought to what he was doing or why. He remembered that his build was enhanced and divination magics would often not work on him, which was why they had direct links to his mind at all times. He remembered all of that, but he couldn’t quite remember much else. 

The world had always been grey. A fog had consistently blinded him. The only paths of clarity had been those between him and his targets and before that had been all that mattered. He hadn’t needed to see anything else, unless it was beneficial to his missions. He was aware of everything that was happening around him, but he _saw_ nothing. 

That fog had never been an issue for him in the past but now he hated it. And wasn’t that something? He hated it… He couldn’t remember hating anything before, but he hated the fog. He hated how it made it hard to think. He hated how it tried to force him onto one predetermined path. He hated how it drained away his motivations and his determination… 

When had he started _thinking_ ? Of course he had the capability to think, to plot and to plan, but, when did he start _thinking_?

Was it before or after that blinding orange light? 

He couldn’t remember anything before that light… Nothing but calculations, of honing techniques, and the expertise of delivering death… 

He didn’t remember trees, or the sky, or music… or faces…

Faces belonged to people. He didn’t know what _people_ were. He understood, targets; missions, but not people. Could it have been that every target had been a _person_ ? And each of those _people_ had faces… 

Was he a person? 

Surely people didn’t have twin toned hands and a mind of shadows? What were people? Thoughts, feelings, emotions… they were just words, weren’t they? He could recite their definitions with precision and ease… but they meant nothing. Didn’t they? Did they? Hadn’t they? 

They used to. 

Each of those _people_ had had faces, had thoughts and feelings and emotions… and now they didn’t… because of him.

Why did he _feel?_ Why did his gut twist when he thought of the targets… the people… and how he had snuffed out each light? 

Light…

That orange light… 

That light that had filled every crevice of his mind, of his being. That light that had eradicated the fog, that burned so bright it had seared his very being… In that moment he had been a person he thinks. In that moment he had thoughts and feelings and emotions and he knew he had them before. Every moment, every emotion, had been illuminated by the light and slammed into him all at once, filled him so completely until he thought he would burst from the intensity. It hurt, it _burned,_ and he welcomed it. 

But when the light was gone, the fog rolled back in, crowding into every available space. That brief glimpse into clarity… had it been real? He tried but could not _feel_ again, or at least, he didn’t think he did… there was something. Something different, something there that wasn’t there before. Questions… So many _questions…_

This new mind the light had granted him yearned for resolution, for answers and for clarity. He had a will to fight, to push back the fog as best he could, though it always rolled back in. He hated the fog…

Could he follow that light? Would that bring him what he sought? Maybe… He would follow that light. 

It didn’t lead him directly to his answers but it gave him a path to them, and it gave him something else... It gave him his target, his mission; Tony Stark. If he ended it, completed his task, would all of this… _thinking_ go away? Would his mind settle? Could he let the fog blanket him so he was numb and silent once again? 

Some part of him raged at the thought, though the voice was weak and far away… And Stark… his eyes were full of colour… Colour… That grey couldn’t touch him, as if it parted for his movements, like it was scared of him. And his voice was soft, but the power of his words fought back shadows, shattering them like a stone through glass. Could this be a glimpse into a world where the fog was gone? Could Stark banish that fog forever? 

The world without the fog felt heavy and complicated but brimming with so much potential… He wanted the fog gone. 

The bird that had shone so brightly was still a star on Stark's shoulder, but Stark seemed to burn brighter but gentler at the same time. Looking at him didn’t hurt, but instead filled him with something else… warmth? Calmness? Stability? It was hard to grasp onto even though it was so close, it slipped out of his grip, his grip that was too loose to catch it. But if he kept trying, surely he would latch on to it? 

Stark showed him faces. So many faces. Faces that showed emotions. Faces that he had forgotten, that hadn’t been important at the time but in truth each had been individual and important to someone… He didn’t want those faces returned to him but he _needed_ them to be. Returning those faces, those faces twisted in fear of him, pushed back the fog a little, stopped it from cocooning him again…

And Tony was still there, wrapped in his warmth and colours. And he looked at him like he might just be important as well… He wasn’t important. Was he? It didn’t seem like he was. 

Was he a person? 

He itched to return to Stark. Anxious to meet him again. He ignored the persistent demands to know where he was, the demands to let them in… they; his handlers, weren’t important…

He stayed as close to Stark as he could. Warded off by strong magic that he did not want to provoke, but when he moved away from that strong magic, he followed him. 

He was good at following, at tracking, at hunting… but he had no intention of turning Stark into his prey… targets or not. 

There was a man with him today. His size and close proximity to Stark made him bristle. He identified him. He had witnessed him with Stark before; at the river… The blonde of his hair blew wisps of an unobtainable thought, a memory, through his mind, but was gone before he had even realised it had been there. 

He had not seemed hostile to Stark but his gait today was firm and determined… He didn’t like it. 

He followed. 

Red… He saw red… He could see red! And how he wished he couldn’t. 

Stark was hurt. Primal fire burned in his chest, an anger he didn’t previously have access to filled him and wished death on the men who had rained arrows down on Stark. He could deliver it too. He knew how. But to break his cover would be folly, and those looking for him would find him… 

He followed. 

Stark wouldn’t let the other man touch him. Something in him relaxed at the thought, but he couldn’t confirm the injury’s condition. It ate away at him as he waited in the forest, lost to the sound of the wind. Had the wind always made the leaves rustle like that? He didn’t sleep, he never slept… only when it was absolutely necessary, so he sat in the silence of the forest. His new mind running questions through his head with no way of answering them. He sat and he waited and listened. Listened for footsteps and the warm colours that followed them. 

Eventually, after the day had turned, he returned to that forest clearing and immediately zeroed in on Stark. 

He became possessed with the need to check, to confirm that the injury on Stark's shoulder had healed. It wasn’t… He may be enhanced and built to heal quickly but Stark had access to healing magic surely?

Stark's words were gentle again, soothing him. He lost some of that anger which had been burning in his gut and instead lost himself to questioning once again. He traced the line of the cut on Stark’s cheek, made by those spears the day before. Why would someone want to hurt someone who shined so brightly? And why did the thought of Stark hurt, hurt him in turn? He didn’t understand it and the reason's elusiveness frustrated him. 

He felt the weight of Starks hand on his wrist, his metal wrist and the thoughts shut off for a moment. He couldn’t remember someone willingly touching either of his hands. Usually they fought to get away from them, not that he cared about that before. 

Stark was fine, or so he said… He was safe and that calmed him. So he let him go. 

He let Stark arrange the blanket on the ground, letting the strange new ease he felt with the man wash over him some. 

They sat opposite each other once again and he knew he was going to see more of the faces he had killed. He wanted nothing more than to never see them again, but he needed to see them. 

He opened his hand for Stark to take, and the offer was accepted straight away. 

He had no time to marvel at that because all too soon his mind and Stark's were filled with screams and blood and faces. 

* * *

Tony gasped. Choking down breaths to fill the cold void the images had made creep its way over his chest. 

This time had been worse. It was like the images of the dead had stuck, like Winters’ mind eyes had lingered over the twisted faces of the dead. 

That swamping cold was a hard feeling to shake out of his limbs. 

Tony took a moment to ground himself. To focus on the comforting weight of Jarvis on his shoulder and the hand still clasping his. A hand which was trembling slightly. 

Tony let his eyes travel up to the Winter Soldier opposite him and observed him quietly. Every part of the man seemed to be shaking. Head hung low, eyes staring at his lap, unblinking and damp. His other hand clenched and unclenched where it rested on his thigh. Without putting too much thought into it, Tony reached out his unoccupied hand and settled it atop Winters. The action did nothing to stop the mans’ shivering so Tony manoeuvred their hands so Tony was able to grasp them together even if Winter’s grip sometimes went slack. 

“Hey, Winter. Look at me, come back to me” He kept his voice level, well aware that he was still dealing with a trained killer, but leaned his body in towards Winter regardless. When he still didn’t seem to get a response, Tony squeezed both of Winters hand, despite it doing nothing to the metal one, and shook them slightly. “Look at me,” he said again in a stronger voice, trying to catch the other mans’ line of sight. “It’s over, the images are gone” he shifted closer still. A small spike of triumph went through him when he saw the assassin blink. “It’s okay, com’on, look at me”. Winter blinked again, another shiver, strong enough to affect both of them, wrecked Winter's body. 

Winter exhaled, blinking again, but still didn’t look up at Tony. Instead, Tony felt the hands in his tighten, holding them firmly almost desperately. Even without being able to see his face fully, Tony could see how Winter’s face morphed into a look of pain, eyes still not really seeing the world in front of him. 

“Monster…” 

The word was so quiet, so breathy, raspy and weak that for a moment Tony had thought that he had imagined it. A beat of silence passed between them both as Tony’s mind raced. He was filled with the thrill of success! Because Winter had spoken! It was working! But the word also surged forth a wave of hurt and sympathy and anger that crashed all of that jubilation from him. It didn’t take Tony being a genius to understand the weight of the one word's meaning. 

“No.” Tony declared sternly. He untangled a hand from Winter’s and threw caution to the wind, reaching for the man’s chin. “Look at me.” He demanded it this time, doing his best to force Winter’s head up. It would appear that Winter was more stubborn than he had originally thought, because the angular jaw refused to give under his fingers. What on earth had this guy been pumped with? 

Not backing down, Tony held his jaw and leaned even closer to the assassin. “Now you listen to me. You are not a monster! Those things that you did. That was not you!” It wasn’t a hard thing to deduce. Considering the guy hadn’t even been able to remember the crimes, or even have a response to them before this… that he didn’t have a name, didn’t have agency, wasn’t even allowed to _talk!_ It wasn’t hard to conclude that the man in front of him had no say in his actions. And boy did it make Tony mad. To rip apart a person, implant your own drives and _use_ the empty shell left behind..! Tony wanted to find Hydra and tear down from the ground up! But he’d start with this, with convincing the man opposite him, that he wasn’t evil and giving him his life back, or at least some form of it. 

“None of that was you. That was Hydra! They locked _you_ away and _used_ you. Like a puppet!” Tony took a breath to calm down. “They wanted a machine to kill people.” Tony studied the man still, only the subtle chewing of the inside of his cheek gave away that he was listening to him. “You’re not a machine,” Tony said softly. He moved his hand along Winter’s jaw to hold his cheek gently. “You’re a person with thoughts and feelings.” At the words Winter seemed to jolt, the unshed tears finally running down his cheeks and his hand in Tony’s tightening. “The fact that you feel this way proves that.” Tony said gently. “It wasn’t your fault, you are not a monster!” 

Tony noticed the shaking in Winter’s shoulders intensify. He could see the cracks as they formed and just before the inevitable breakdown, Tony pulled the soldiers head to his chest as the dam burst. 

Winter barley made a noise but Tony could feel the sobs wreck the other’s body as the tears wet his shirt. 

He ignored the chill caused by the damp fabric, the unforgiving hardness of the ground underneath them and the persistent pain in his shoulder. He narrowed his world to just the two of them, feeling an overwhelming urge to somehow protect this man who for all intents and purposes was a force to be reckoned with, one that could obliterate anything that came his way. 

Even still, the thought of everything that this man had been put through, stabbed at his chest over and over again and it filled him with righteous fury. For the better part of a century, the kingdom had been working under the assumption that Hydra was all but done for. 

Tony made a mental note to delve into a research binge sometime in the near future. 

Slowly the tremors in Winter's body stopped. Tony held him just as tight as before, despite how uncomfortable the position was for them both. The feeling of something shifting, alerted Tony to the fact that Winter had a hand clenched in Tony’s clothing. Something so small but it settled him to know that Winter had reached out for him in some way. At least there was some trust there. 

When Winter shifted to withdraw, his eyes were still downcast, refusing to look at him, but the hand stayed clenched in the fabric of Tony’s clothing. Tony didn’t comment on it, nor the red rings now round Winter’s eyes. 

Tony swallowed, not really knowing what to say or do. What more could he say? He wasn’t exactly the best with comforting people and he wasn’t trained in psychology, he didn’t know how best to deal with such a severe case of identity crisis… What could he do? 

He swallowed and reached over for the basket he’d brought along. At the movement, Winter lunged forward, his free hand grabbing one of Tony’s wrists and using both to pull Tony forward, to keep in place. Finally those ice blue eyes looked at him. They were wracked with worry and desperation. Tony gave Winter a soft, and probably sad, smile. “I’m not going anywhere” he reassured him. “I’m just grabbing the basket.” Winter regarded him for another moment before giving him a small and almost embarrassed nod. The grips loosened a little but didn’t move but Tony didn’t mind. He reached off to the side and pulled the basket towards him, depositing it besides them. 

Rather than rummage around in the basket, Tony used magic to pull several items out of it, more than would have physically fit in the small basket. “When was the last time you ate?” Tony turned back to the soldier, letting the objects float on the air. 

Winter just stared at him, eyes miserable and blank once again, tilted his head to look at him in confusion. 

Tony raised an eyebrow, it shouldn’t be that confusing right? He hummed softly in contemplation before changing the question. “Do you remember when the last time you ate was?” 

Winter’s brow crinkled for a moment before shaking his head, almost defeatedly. 

“It’s okay,” Tony gave Winter another smile. “Let’s eat okay?” 

Winter blinked, still frowning, confusion still very much on his face. 

Tony hadn't brought anything overly fancy with him, just a couple of sandwiches, meats and fruit, but now he was thinking he should have brought more. If Winter didn’t remember when he last ate, did that mean he hadn’t eaten since he’d attacked the manor? Surely not…? Right? The thought made Tony swallow again. If that was true, how was this guy even alive?! 

As gently as he could, he removed Winter’s hand from him, happy that the assassin allowed it without any fuss, but still loosely held one as he grabbed one of the sandwiches. He held it out to Winter. “Here.” Winter continued to stare at him as if lost. The implications made Tony's stomach go cold. Rather than ask questions he really wanted to, Tony smiled, still offering the food. “You’re not gonna leave me hanging are you?” He tried for good natured humour. “After I brought this for you? I’m not gonna eat it, I don’t even like ham” he lied with a smile. It seemed to work though, because while Winter still looked a little lost, he took the offered sandwich. Tony, silently praising himself for bringing an assortment of sandwiches, grabbed one for himself and wasted no time beginning to eat it, if only to encourage Winter to eat also. 

The assassin looked back and forth between Tony and the food. “It’s not poisoned, you know,'' Tony clarified. Winter studied the sandwich again before taking a bite of it. 

The reaction was instant. Winter’s eyes widened, staring at the food like it held all the secrets to the universe. Before Tony could blink, the rest of the sandwich was gone and he was unashamedly reaching for another. Tony made no move to stop him and ate his own, trying not to throw Winter sympathetic looks as he did so. If anything he tried for indifference, as if Winter’s reaction to a simple ham sandwich was completely normal. 

Once Winter had famished all of the sandwiches, Tony let him loose on the rest of the food, encouraging him to drink from the water flask he had brought from time to time. Despite his earlier wariness, Winter ate everything Tony gave him as if it were going out of fashion. He seemed fascinated with every new piece of food he put in his mouth. Tony noticed that the earlier traces of tears had somewhat disappeared, so at least that was something. 

Once everything was finished, Winter looked a little sad again, but now it was more… cute…? Like a puppy being denied a biscuit… Despite the shitty situation they had found themselves in, Tony smiled as he watched the soldier. 

“I assume you don’t feed yourself?” Tony said once everything settled. Winter shook his head. Tony tried not to persuade Winter to speak again, though he really hoped he did. Maybe whoever had been in charge of the Winter Soldier before, “fed” him when he returned to them..? “What about sleep?” Another shake of “no”. 

“What have you been doing in the forest then? Besides following me?” Winter’s eyes roamed the floor but eventually shrugged… Tony’s mind began to race. The man before him was human, undoubtedly, which meant that he had to eat and sleep. Sure magic users had been pushing the boundaries of that for centuries but there still wasn’t a viable substitute. Magic could only prolong life for so long... They must have been feeding him in some way. That sick feeling continued to spread to churn in his stomach… nothing said they fed him properly… Tony tried not to show anything in his face. “And what are you planning to do after this?” 

For a moment it seemed like Winter wasn’t going to reply but the small, and surprisingly smug, smile that Winter gave back to him, shocked Tony. “Follow you” the weak voice said without a hint of shame. Those eyes that had been so sad before twinkled with something that Tony could only describe as mischief and damn did it cut off all his thought processes…. Well at least he was up front about it…?

Tony cleared his throat. “That _aside,_ what are you planning to do?” Winter shrugged again, but he didn’t appear to care much about the problem and there was still amusement written all over him. “But what about food, shelter..?” 

Another shrug. “Don’t need it.” 

Tony sighed loudly. “Of course you do” Tony argued though he could hear the defeat in his own voice because he knew trying to convince Winter otherwise was damn near pointless. Also what could he do to the contrary? Thank the heavens that it was at least getting a little less cold now, if that even affected Winter, but the thought of him just wandering around the forest alone didn’t sit well with Tony. 

He could always talk to Strange, see if he was willing to harbour the assassin? But would Winter even follow him there? Would it be safe to bring him there before removing his brainwashing? This was only the second time they’d done this, others could still have access to his mind…

Admittedly Strange would be a great help at detangling this spell and even though he was a stuck up arsehole most of the time, Tony had never known him to turn someone away. Especially if Winter would turn out to be a challenge for him. But then, Winter seemed to be okay around him, there was no guarantee he’d take well to being around other people. Tony also didn’t trust Fury. If he caught wind that they had a Hydra assassin hiding out, Tony wasn’t sure what SHIELD would do…

“Alright” Tony said decisively, standing up. Winter eyed him warily, eyes begging him not to move, but what had to be done, had to be done. “Up you get Frosty” he extended his hand and didn’t comment on the look of confusion caused by the nickname. Once they were both up, Tony magically folded up the blanket and tucked it into the basket. 

“You know how to hide right? How to keep unseen and safe?” Winter raised an eyebrow but nodded. “I want you to choose an area, close by, well hidden, defensible and point it out to me” Winter tilted his head in question but tony didn’t let him linger. “Com’on I know you’re good at this” Winter began moving but kept throwing Tony perturbed glances. 

It took Winter about 10 minutes to get into it properly but soon enough they came upon a thicket of trees, close enough together that having them at your back would provide some form of security. A fallen tree and the overgrown foliage around it made for good camouflage… or at least Tony thought… Tony could work with this. “Hold this,” Tony said, shoving the basket at Winters chest. Tony moved towards the fallen tree examining everything once again. His earth magics might not be the _best…_ but Tony knew how to build and how to design, none of this should pose a problem. He channelled his magic towards the fallen tree, his hand glowing. Small bulbs of light siphoned away from him like a storm of fireflies swirling on the air, around the surrounding trees and the one which had fallen. The earth began to rise, shift and twist. The surrounding plants grew and lengthened turning into even more an overgrown mess. The fallen tree bent and moved as he repositioned everything, removing dirt, fortifying, water proofing. It took some time, concentration and imagination but Tony eventually dropped his hands and assessed his work. From here, it simply looked like he’d made everything “wilder”. There was more moss on the trees and the plants now cascaded over everything but not in a way that looked out of place. He turned his head to give Winter a wide smile. “Follow” he said amusedly and walked over to the fallen tree. Tony reached out and brushed aside the curtain of foliage that was now hanging over the log. Behind the curtain was a set of stairs, not long, only about five steps down, which lead to a makeshift door. Tony pushed against the hardened dirt and it gave easily enough opening into a small room, visible once Tony lit a fire in his hands. Not having much to work with, it was all but empty but it was enough to provide shelter from the elements. More plants made a bed of sorts by one of the walls, plush enough to give support but dry enough not to wake up damp. It was far from Tony’s ideal choice of bedding but it would have to do for now. A protrusion from the wall allowed a wooden torch to be set into it, so Tony did just that with a piece of wood, softly lighting the small space. 

“Now this is not permanent” Tony apologised “and I know it’s not much but this should do for now so you don’t die of exposure” he looked back at Winter to find the man staring at him in awe. 

“Mine?” he questioned quietly. 

Tony swallowed around the feelings in his throat. “Well I didn’t make it for myself” he stated, trying to sound flippant about it. “The next time I see you I want to know that you’ve slept”. Winter looked a little pained at that. “What’s wrong?” he probed. 

Winter looked from Tony to the bed and let out a small sigh. “Can’t…” 

Tony bit his bottom lip. He probably should have guessed that. “Will you try for me?” Winter looked up at him and gave him a tentative smile and then a nod. 

“Good,” Tony said with a smile “You don’t need to do more than that,” he promised. “I’ll have Jarvis bring you a few things if I can’t. Hopefully you can get some rest before we do the spell again.” Those words were followed by Winter immediately crowding up to Tony. “Tomorrow?” he demanded, pleaded? 

Tony gave him another sad smile. “Not tomorrow. After what happened today, I think you need some time to process everything. Don’t want you to get hurt because we’ve done too much right?”

The Winter Soldier let out a noise which Tony could only say was a whine... “Three days, like before” Tony told him. Winter made another noise of protest and Tony could only find it endearing. He walked over so he was in front of the taller man again and took one of his hands again. “Trust me okay? I don’t want to hurt you. Three days. We’ll see if we can do more after that okay?” 

Winter frowned, pouted but in the end nodded in agreement. “Good, Jarvis will bring you some food tomorrow so be on the lookout for him okay?” Winter nodded again. “You can keep the blanket, hopefully we can create a better setup soon, '' Tony said as he dropped Winter’s hand so that he could hand over the blanket. Winter took it with a soft look on his face. 

“Thank you” Winter croaked out, cold eyes full of emotion. 

Tony gave him a smile back. “You don’t need to thank me, just start looking after yourself…”

* * *

To say that Winter had been reluctant for Tony to leave was an understatement. He had pouted and whined like a puppy until Tony managed to finally leave. Even after that, Winter made no attempt to hide the fact he was following Tony back through the forest and Tony was well aware that was on purpose. 

The fact that he had somehow endeared himself to a high caliber assassin blew his mind. It was just something else in the long list of things that he did that would probably get him killed. But at least they had made progress. Tony didn’t know why this was so important to him but it was. Perhaps it was the injustice to it. The same way people being killed for magic was… Every crack in that stoic mask the soldier had been wearing before, brought Tony another little bit of joy. 

Either way, Tony was still lost in thought when he finally made it back to Strange's house. He entered and took off the travelling cloak he’d been wearing and headed towards the stairs. 

“Went for a walk?”

Tony whipped round to find Natasha leaning against a door frame, arms folded over her torso loosely, one foot casually crossed over the other and a smirk on her lips. She was dressed in her black leather. “Yes, it was quite nice out.” 

“Interesting…” she pushed off the door frame and walked over to Tony with her hands on her hips. “Steve told me that you’d gone to see Pepper. She didn’t mention you were planning to meet up with her.”

“Spending a lot of time with my assistant are you?” Tony sidestepped. 

“I enjoy her company” Natasha gave him a wide smile despite the short sentence. “Interesting basket you’ve got there” she gave him another smirk. 

“I thought a small picnic would be nice” Tony shrugged. Every one of his defences began to raise.

“Without a blanket? That’s an awfully empty basket.”

“I sat in a tree,” Tony said, completely deadpan. He didn’t know what game Natasha was playing, but he didn’t want in. 

Natasha just continued to smile at him. “Fury is looking for you and our resident veteran. I heard he spent the night?”

“He did.”

“You two seem to be joined at the hips these days…”

“I enjoy his company” Tony parroted her words back at her. Natasha’s eyes twinkled in amusement. 

“Does he know you’re sneaking around?” 

“Is that an accusation Miss Romanov?”

“Most definitely” Natasha grinned. “And while I completely approve, I am curious about what you’re doing.”

“The only thing Fury needs to know from me is when his trinkets are made.”

“I didn’t say Fury was interested in your sneaking around. And I have no plans to tell him.” Tony raised an eyebrow at that. “I just want to offer you some help, if you want it?”

Tony stared at her, but he couldn’t read her. “Why..?”

“So you don’t get hurt… I have a friend who’s quite interested in the safety of her employer. Also I’ve heard it’s cold in the forest, almost like it’s still Winter…” Silence passed back and forth between them. Tony couldn’t tell what she wanted, but considering he already knew Natasha was well trained in tailing people, he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised that she had noticed something. 

“How much does Fury know?”

“Just that the Manor was attacked. No details. Failed assassination attempt.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

“Why?” 

Natasha’s stature changed slightly. “I chose my alliances these days. Fury is the only means I have to an end.”

“What does that mean?”

“I agree with the need for a rebellion. But I’m painfully aware that Fury works in shady means.” Tony raised an eyebrow, asking her to elaborate. “I imagine you don’t know that he wasn’t planning to give Steve back his shield, unless he joined the rebellion?” 

Tony felt his jaw tighten but otherwise didn’t give away any sign of his true reaction to the statement. “He told you that, did he?”

Natasha gave him another smile full of amusement. “No, he didn’t.” 

Tony couldn’t help but smile back. He had no doubt even Natasha wasn't meant to know that... Tony couldn't help but approve of whatever sneaky method she'd used to learn her superiors secrets. “Still doesn’t explain why you’d have any interest in helping me.”

Natasha shrugged goodnaturedly. “I like you. You seem to the only person here willing to actually fight for something. So the next time you and the Captain go on another escapade, I want in.” Tony looked her up and down, eyebrow still raised.

“And I’m just meant to trust the woman who spent a month undercover in my home?” 

Natasha grinned at him. “If it was that easy, what fun would it be?”

Tony gave a huff of amusement. “Alright then Miss Romanov. Let’s go pick us up a Veteran and we’ll go visit the Pirate...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I hope you are all doing well in the current situation we find ourselves in.  
> I'm perfectly fine, safe and isolated. things haven't been great recently. As some of you may know, I'm currently abroad on exchange and there have been some *disagreements* about whether or not I should go home. It's been stressful to say the least but for now everything's sorted, at least till summer.  
> On another note.  
> I'm not sure how much I liked this chapter. I kinda felt it was a little juvenile whilst I was writing it. Not much plot in this chapter but at least we get some Bucky...?  
> Hope you all stay safe and thank again for all your amazing support and comments. 
> 
> -Micky


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